“What do rural people think?”

That question comes up a lot when it’s an election year, or when times are economically challenging.

Leaders of the Minnesota Farmers Union wants to help make the answers clearer. The organization is holding seven “Rural Voices Discussions” in March and April and invites family farmers and rural Minnesotans to participate in these listening sessions.

“The voices of real farmers and rural Americans must be heard as part of our various policy debates,” says MFU president Gary Wertish. “The farm economic crisis has left countless rural Americans searching for answers. We have a farm bill renewal coming up, plus we have uncertainty about renewable fuels, trade, health care and rural broadband.

We strongly encourage all rural Minnesotans to attend the Rural Voices Discussion closest to them,” he says.

Wertish will lead a listening panel along with officials from Gov. Mark Dayton’s administration and National Farmers Union. State and federal elected officials are invited as well. Attendees may bring up any topic for discussion they would like. MFU staff will take notes at these meetings for future reference.

The dates and locations for the 2018 Rural Voices Discussions are:

March 27, 3-5 p.m., Blue Earth County Library, 100 E. Main St., Mankato, Minn.

March 29, 10 a.m.-noon, People’s Energy Cooperative, 1775 Lake Shady Ave. South, Oronoco, Minn.

April 5, 2-4 p.m., Stine Conference Room, Cloquet Forestry Center, 175 University Road, Cloquet, Minn.

April 9, 1-3 p.m., American Legion Post 167, 220 19th Ave SW, Willmar, Minn.

April 10, 2-4 p.m., Large Conference Room, Detroit Lakes Public Library, 1000 Washington Ave., Detroit Lakes, Minn.

April 11, 10 a.m.-noon, Sun Room, Crookston Public Library, 110 N. Ash St., Crookston, Minn.

April 11, 1:30-3:30 p.m., Ag Country, 901 West 1st Ave. South, Ada, Minn.

Source: Minnesota Farmers Union