State fairs are a place where common folks can mingle with the powerful, as I discovered in a chance meeting with Minnesota lieutenant governor Carol Molnau, a farmer from Lafayette, Minnesota. She said one of the biggest issues in Minnesota agriculture is the ability to expand farms to bring in new family members.

"Too many people look at expansion of farms as a negative," she says. "It's not. It's a positive way to bring in new young farmers. I wish Minnesota was more friendly to animal agriculture. It may be the only way to bring a young person back to the farm."