U.S. Rep. Collin Peterson, D-Minn., was named chairman of the House Agriculture Committee in 2006 and helped lead the design of the 2008 farm bill.
Peterson, 64, was elected to the U.S. House in 1990 to represent the 7th District. He continues to fly his own plane to meet constituents in a district that sprawls from East Grand Forks to Moorhead and Willmar. He is known as a conservative Democrat, a founding member of the "Blue Dog" coalition and a deficit hawk.
Born in Fargo, Peterson earned business and accounting degrees from Minnesota State University in Moorhead. He had a CPA practice in Detroit Lakes, Minn., and served in the Minnesota Senate from 1977 to 1986.
Peterson spoke with Mikkel Pates, Agweek staff writer.
