REDWOOD FALLS — Five Minnesota candidates for governor gathered Tuesday at the annual FarmFest trade show, where they promised to help farmers by promoting agriculture and working to ease environmental regulations.

The candidates included the four Republicans who will square off in a primary next week: Hennepin County Commissioner Jeff Johnson, former House Speaker Kurt Zellers, former House Minority Leader Marty Seifert and business executive Scott Honour. Also participating was Independence Party candidate Hannah Nicollet.

The candidates criticized DFL Gov. Mark Dayton for not showing up, saying attendees deserved to see their governor.

“This is one of the biggest and best agricultural outlets in the state and this forum,” Zellers said. “He should be here with you today.”

Seifert played up his rural roots, referring several times to the farm where he grew up just a few miles from the festival grounds, the Marshall Independent reported.

The candidates agreed on most issues during the hour-long question-and-answer forum. For example, on the topic of labeling genetically modified food they said it’s more important to have a single national policy rather than a state-by-state patchwork of laws.

They pledged to promote Minnesota agriculture overseas and promised to invest in roads and bridges to help move Minnesota’s agricultural products, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported.

Johnson told the crowd he would stand up to federal agencies that seem to think their job is to regulate and punish.

“That’s not their job,” he said. “It is absolutely the issue of a governor to say, ‘Mind your own damn business,’ to the federal government.”

Seifert singled out the state’s Pollution Control Agency as being out of control. He said environmental agencies at the state and federal government create a situation where there are “too many cooks in the kitchen when it comes to government regulations.”

GOP candidates coming to Mower County Fair

—Gubernatorial candidate Jeff Johnson will be at the fair from noon to 1:45 p.m. Saturday.

—First District Congressional candidate Aaron Miller will be at the fair from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday.