Op-ed by Jake Johnson in the Albert Lea Tribune — October 10, 2025:

I’ve been a math teacher in southern Minnesota for the past 20 years. And when I look at the tariffs supported by our Congressman Brad Finstad, I know the math just doesn’t add up.

Farmers here plant more than two million acres of soybeans every year. This year, they’re producing a record yield despite soaring input costs, and they’re still facing a crisis. Because of the tariffs, they can’t sell a single bushel to China, our largest buyer. Instead, China is now buying soybeans from Argentina — a nation being bailed out by the very politicians in Washington who created this mess.

So where is Finstad? He voted to keep these tariffs in place and even praised them. As chairman of the House Nutrition and Foreign Agriculture Subcommittee, he has the power to help open new markets and stand up for the hardworking men and women in our fields. Instead, he’s been missing in action, having not held an in-person town hall since his election in 2022.

Southern Minnesota deserves better. In the short term, that means directly helping the farmers that the federal government hurt with their tariffs. But our farmers need more than just short-term aid; they also need someone to fight for our long-term rural economy.

If elected, here’s how I would deliver:

1. Oppose the blanket tariffs. I’ll vote to stop the blanket tariffs and reassert Congress’s constitutional authority on tariff policy. But that doesn’t mean a return to extreme free trade policies either. I’ll push for fair trade approaches that center worker protections and enforceable wage standards, and I’ll support trade deals that help our farmers, like the recent U.S.–Japan deal that increases corn and soybean exports to Japan.

2. Pass a farm bill. Finstad’s top priority has been to pass a farm bill, and three years later, he still hasn’t done it. It’s time that we get a farm bill that actually works for family farmers. That means expanding crop insurance and credit for small and diversified farms, guaranteeing the right for farmers to repair their own farm equipment, and providing funds for rural development programs like housing, broadband, and water infrastructure.

3. Be accountable. I will hold 21 in-person town halls before this election, one in every county in our district. This isn’t partisan. Just south of us, Republican Senator Chuck Grassley has held in-person town halls this year, and he also pushed back on the tariffs to help save our ag industry. Our previous Republican Congressman Jim Hagedorn held 21 in-person town halls every term. It’s simple: if you can’t face your constituents, you don’t deserve their votes.

I’m running for Congress because I believe we can build a future where everyone who works hard can succeed. Our farmers are some of the most productive in the world, and they shouldn’t be responsible for bad math and unexcused absences from Congressman Finstad. With new leadership, we can make sure that our farmers’ hard work actually pays off.