Washington, D.C. – Tonight, Majority Whip Tom Emmer (MN-06) will be accompanied by two distinguished guests from the Sixth Congressional District for the 2023 State of the Union address, retired Saint Cloud Police Chief Blair Anderson and fourth-generation dairy farmer Hannah Molitor.
“As Chief for the Saint Cloud Police Department, Blair built bridges between law enforcement and the Saint Cloud community, the result of which has been decreased crime and increased trust,” Emmer said. “Hannah not only upholds four generations of her family farm’s legacy, but also works to bring young people into agriculture.
“Hannah and Blair have both dedicated their lives to service,” concluded Emmer. “They represent the best of the Sixth District.”
Anderson said, “It is my privilege and pleasure to have been invited to tonight’s State of the Union address, and it has been even more of a pleasure to work with Congressman Emmer over the years. Congressman Emmer is the epitome of representation.”
“I am thrilled to attend the State of the Union address with Representative Emmer, and thank him for this special opportunity,” said Molitor. “It’s an honor to attend this event alongside him and recognize the work he has done in the district to support agriculture, especially young agriculturists like me.”
Background:
Blair Anderson was born in Detroit, Michigan. He came to Minnesota to attend Saint Mary’s University, from which he earned a master's degree.
After eight years in service in the U.S. Army, he began a 27-year career in law enforcement. Ten of these years were spent as Chief of the Saint Cloud Police Department. There, he developed the Saint Cloud COP House, a community outreach program that became the basis for Emmer’s Community OutPost (COP) Outreach and Engagement Act.
Hannah Molitor grew up as the fourth generation on her family’s dairy farm near Saint Cloud, alongside seven sisters. Currently, her father and uncle operate the farm where they rotationally graze 300 cows.
Off the farm, Molitor works for the Minnesota Dairy Herd Improvement Association as a field representative, visiting farms daily and collecting milk samples to make sure Minnesota dairy farms are producing high-quality and safe milk.
Molitor has been an active member of the Stearns County Farm Bureau for over eight years and was recently elected county president in the summer of 2022. She has been a part of several successful programs hosted by the county Farm Bureau, including developing Farm Bureau Friends on the Farm which invites local elected officials onto the farm to see firsthand the impact of policies on agriculture. The county has also hosted several forums with leaders at the county level and runs an interactive display during the Stearns County Fair.
Outside of Farm Bureau, Molitor is an active volunteer with 4-H and FFA.
Young agriculturalists like Hannah serve as the inspiration for Emmer’s Agriculture Skills Preparation for Industry Recruitment Efforts (ASPIRE) Act. This bill would support workforce development in the agricultural sector by establishing a work-based agricultural training program within the USDA’s Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program to fund apprenticeship and internship programs with local farms and agricultural businesses.
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