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GRANITE FALLS, Minn. 鈥� U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar took to the roads of western Minnesota at the start of the August recess for Congress, only to be reminded of the importance of some of the unfinished business still waiting in Washington.

A shortage of affordable housing, workforce and child care needs topped the issues raised when Klobuchar met with civic representatives in Granite Falls for a listening session Sunday, July 30.

The issues underscored the importance of passing a new farm bill, which funds the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and its programs to promote economic development and stability in rural areas.

鈥淲e really, really want to get it done this year,鈥� Klobuchar said of a new farm bill. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 know what we鈥檙e headed into if we don鈥檛 get it done.鈥�

She also bemoaned the inability of Congress to approve immigration reform after two failed attempts.

鈥淲e almost got it done,鈥� she said of the most recent attempt. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, was among those who joined her in supporting legislation that would have allowed Afghan refugees in the country to apply for permanent legal residency after undergoing additional vetting.

She called immigration reform critical to the country鈥檚 continued growth and economic vitality and cited its importance to workforce needs.

The lack of immigration reform has a direct impact on agriculture. Klobuchar pointed out that the United States is losing farm workers to Canada due to the inability to make progress.

鈥淲e can鈥檛 figure out immigration reform,鈥� Klobuchar said, expressing her exasperation.

Her Granite Falls hosts shared their own frustrations, as well as what they are doing to cope with them.

, a residential addiction treatment center with 200 employees, is facing challenges due to workforce and housing shortages. CEO Marti Paulson said the facility recently lost out in recruiting two professionals who were unable to find the housing they wanted.

鈥淎nd let鈥檚 face it, everybody has that (workforce) shortage, and the next job is right there,鈥� she said.

Project Turnabout is taking a 鈥済row our own鈥� approach, according to Paulson. The organization offers free tuition to people who are completing degrees and licensing in alcohol and drug counseling. A house was recently purchased to provide free housing to interns in exchange for a commitment of two years.

鈥淧eople aren鈥檛 going into education,鈥� Rich Schneider, Yellow Medicine East 歪歪漫画s superintendent of schools, said of the growing challenge his district faces in recruiting employees. The worker shortage is across the board, from school bus drivers and other hourly workers to those holding degrees, he said.

Schneider said 鈥� which serves Clarkfield, Echo, Granite Falls, Hanley Falls and Hazel Run and surrounding areas 鈥� is going to 鈥渉ave to figure out day care鈥� for employees as one means of recruiting and retaining staff.

Klobuchar pointed to the Benson and Lac qui Parle Valley school districts, where child care services are now offered in the schools.

On a positive note, she pointed out that Congress has approved $650 million in new funding to assist with expanding broadband services to underserved areas. Roughly 30% of Yellow Medicine County is underserved, she noted.

Klobuchar also told her audience that Congress is again approving earmarks that can help communities address specific challenges.

At the onset, she also reminded her hosts that it鈥檚 unclear how much can be done on the federal level to address some of the issues, the current marketplace for new housing among them.

Kyle Haugen, economic development director for the City of Granite Falls, said the organization has looked at building new, single-family houses to meet the community's needs. But the cost of building a new home can be twice its value in a rural market, such as Granite Falls, he pointed out.

It鈥檚 a national problem that poses a chicken-and-egg dilemma for rural areas, Klobuchar said. Since the pandemic, there are more people who want to live in rural areas, and more who can do so due to remote work opportunities. Yet in many rural areas, there isn鈥檛 the housing needed.

Communities should replace 1% of their housing stock each year to keep pace with the normal attrition of aging structures, said Granite Falls Mayor Dave Smiglewski. That would amount to building 12 to 13 new houses each year in his community of 2,700 people.

鈥淲e鈥檙e not even close,鈥� he said.