Essay · Multiculturalism · April 2024
Other policies should be enacted, not to protect certain ethnic or cultural identities, but rather small farmers of any stripe.
South of St. Paul, Minnesota, a group of farmers’ land had been threatened by the state’s Department of Transportation and county government. But this land doesn’t just belong to any old group of farmers, it’s property of the Hmong American Farmers Association, as reported by the Star Tribune. The MnDOT alongside Dakota County had been attempting to seize about 20 acres of land that is under the control of the Association as laid out in the article titled “A county road project threatened Hmong farmers’ fields. Then the Legislature stepped in.” Before either entity could take control over the acreage, the Minnesota state Legislature acted. In a piece of legislation from the 2023 session, the legislature preserved the farming collective’s 155 acres, ensuring that if any annexation of land must be done so with the agreement of the Hmong farmers. In an interview with the association’s executive director Janssen Hang, Hang outlined that there are currently 25 five-acre land lots which are collectively farmed by over 100 people. This included professional farmers as well as others within their families and social circles. The most perplexing aspect of this dispute was that the state had previously given the farmers $2 million so that they could purchase the land, rather than continue to lease the property. This appropriation was done in 2020, three years prior to the current conflict at hand. Luckily, the new law that passed in 2023 has corrected the wrongs before the MnDOT or Dakota County could formally acquire the land.
This issue is something that does hold some significance to my life. Although I am not of Hmong ancestry, nor one who works in agriculture, my grandparents are farmers. My grandmother had served on boards regarding agricultural policy within the state of Minnesota. She had been tasked with the oversight of representing minority farmers, not specifically along racial lines, but throughout agricultural industries. So this means small-independent hobby farmers, certain types of animals or crops were also represented by her in her role. Additionally, a few members of my community had been impacted in a very similar manner. A body of homeowners, via eminent domain, had a road constructed through their backyard, which was wooded, non-developed, untouched land. Now there is a road, with a newly built bridge spanning the highway and a roundabout has also been added. Other than my relation to my grandmother and the experiences in which she witnessed and the members of my community, I have very little in relation to those impacted in Dakota County, MN.
There are certain key identities that would have been negatively impacted if the State and County’s initial plan had been followed through on. The identity that is most touched are those dependent on the revenue brought in by the land and the products that are produced. Others are those of Hmong heritage. Hmong Americans often fall on the lower end of the socio-economic ladder when compared to other Asian ethnicities in America. This is often due to displacement, the Hmong had fled Southern Asia during the Vietnam War, resulting in many Hmong Americans being refugees. The families of the farmers, who often help with the harvesting and maintenance of the field, would also be impacted.
Specific policies have already been enacted. As mentioned, the State Legislature had written into law the prevention of a “city, county or the state from taking or condemning the land without the farmer association’s permission” which in turn grants the farmers a greater sense of agency. As well as protecting the farmers from having land seized without their consultation. Other policies should be enacted, not to protect certain ethnic or cultural identities, but rather small farmers of any stripe. Whether it applies to the small farm investing in hemp cultivation to a generational goat’s milk homestead, the state should be setting up guard rails to prevent any future squashing of rights. It is important to take a racially neutral position within policy. We don’t want legislation that benefits one identity over another. To ensure this, focus on the industry, and provide rules, not restrictions.
References
Adler, E. (2023, June 12). A county road project threatened Hmong farmers’ fields. Then the Legislature stepped in. The Star Tribune. Retrieved April 7, 2024, from startribune.com
Written for JTC-300, taught by Dr. Emily Johnson, April 7, 2024.
