Farmer to run for House seat

Some people seem, quite literally, to be born for a job.

In Mick Ditlevson’s case, it was two jobs: farming and politics.

The Owatonna native is the first to announce his intention to run for Minnesota House District 19B in November. Rep. John Petersburg, R-Waseca, currently holds the seat but plans to retire after the 2024 legislative session.

A 2014 graduate of Owatonna High School, Ditlevson already has a strong foundation in governmental process.

After graduating from Pepperdine University in Malibu, Calif., with a degree in economics, he worked in Washington, D.C., as a presidential appointee. His work included advance operations with the White House, the Environmental Protection Agency and later, the U.S. Department of Energy.

But years before that, he also spent time at the Minnesota Capitol, which is where his interest in politics was truly born.

His mother, Renee Worke, has been a judge at the Minnesota Court of Appeals for nearly 20 years.

“As a kid, my brother and I would go around the tunnel system, going on scavenger hunts” to find the offices of specific legislators in the underground system, Ditlevson said, “and it was a ton of fun.”

His coursework at Pepperdine “continued to drive that interest,” he said, “then having the opportunity to work out East more or less solidified it.”

Even before his time in St. Paul with his mother, though, there was time spent on the family farm outside of Blooming Prairie.

Ditlevson recently left Washington, D.C., to join his father, Mark Ditlevson, as the fourth generation to work the land. He has bought 80 acres of his own, where he raises corn, soybeans, wheat, and oats in a no-till operation.

Being back in the area and wanting to be more civically involved, he said, was important to him.

“I had contemplated running for something at some point in my life,” he added.

Then Petersburg announced his retirement.

“I wasn’t looking specifically for this role,” Ditlevson said, “but I wanted to be more engaged, and the timing worked out. I wanted to seize the opportunity and see if the community feels like I’m someone who’d represent them well.”

He admits it’s “a little daunting, when it’s staring you in the face, but I’m really, really grateful for community members who encouraged me to take the leap.”

So, he said, he “traded in his Carhartt overalls for a suit and tie.”

Ditlevson spoke with Petersburg after announcing his own campaign.

“He’s been incredibly encouraging, and he’s a wealth of knowledge,” Ditlevson said, “but he was realistic about trying to set expectations right. He’s being very fair and wants to support all candidates equally.”

When it comes to issues in the district, Ditlevson said he’ll be doing a lot of listening.

“I just want to meet with people and hear what’s important to them,” he said, and plans to seek input from “experts in the area within the party and the local community. The more time I can spend doing local outreach and talking to constituents in the coming months is only going to help more in that process.”

Ditlevson also realizes he has many strengths, after working in the area of environment and energy on the national level.

“Then being a farmer back home,” he said, “I know that’s an area where I have more depth, and more contacts to go and ask questions.”

So which is more difficult: farming or politics?

“They’re both difficult,” Ditlevson said, “but they’re really complementary in a lot of ways.”

Both require putting down roots in an area, he said, “and making a commitment.

“In farming, so much of it is about international markets, trade agreements, what’s causing market movements,” Ditlevson said. “It’s chemistry, biology, finance, markets – and marketing, seeing how the process works.

“There’s a lot of crossover in running a political campaign and running an ag operation,” he said.

In addition, both are getting more difficult for young people to get into – so it takes committed community members who want to see younger generations succeed.

Can he be an example?

“I hope so,” Ditlevson said. “I hope that I can encourage them to be more active and involved in whatever capacity that may be in their community.”

His encouragement will come in the way of messaging, he said.

After hearing from classmates who are no longer in the area, or even the state, Ditlevson is “trying to be an example to my peers that there’s a lot of value and opportunity back home here. The more I’m involved in this area, the more I can promote it – and maybe bring some folks back.”

His campaign slogan is “Time to Reel It In,” a nod to his outdoors lifestyle with a focus on the state’s spending and taxation.

Minnesota, he said, “had a budget surplus (last session) and still managed to raise taxes … Especially as a young constituent, we’re going to be left holding the bag on some of this stuff for a long time to come.”

Ditlevson is “very, very optimistic about the whole process; I’m incredibly excited. I think if you have a compelling message, it’s incredible what you can accomplish.”

While he’s the first to announce his bid for House District 19B, he likely won’t be the last.

“I really would like to focus on my campaign, and I’m going to run it like there will be challengers,” he said. “We’re going to run a successful campaign and work hard at it, and hopefully the community sees me as a good candidate for the seat.”