Back to our roots

Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue kicked off his multi-state Back to Our Roots RV Tour with a handful of stops in Wisconsin. In addition to joining Gov. Scott Walker in opening the Wisconsin State Fair and promoting rural broadband at a stop in Wausau, Secretary Perdue stopped for lunch and discussion with farmers and ag policy folks at the farm of Wisconsin Farm Bureau President Jim Holte.

DBMMC board member Jerry Meissner and I attended that event. We heard from the secretary, Sen. Ron Johnson and Congressman Sean Duffy on several topics important to farmers in the region. Those in attendance gave him an earful on the issues that matter to dairy farmers: the need for a reliable workforce, the importance of trade and desire for appropriately funded, high-functioning farm bill programs.

Secretary Perdue engaged easily with the crowd. He understood our issues and was motivated to help. There is no doubt that the secretary is a great ally for farmers. He has already helped to promote our labor needs and the importance of trade in a political environment where immigration and NAFTA are not popular concepts. Dairy farmers and all of agriculture must continue to lean on the secretary and USDA to make our case in Washington.

From there, Secretary Perdue headed to Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois and Indiana – all states that have DBMMC members. The dairy voice may not have been as prominent at some of those other stops, but our top concerns are shared by plenty of other non-dairy farmers.

It is important for our co-op to maintain strong lines of communication with our legislators and policymakers. That is why DBMMC has contracted with the government affairs experts at Michael Torrey & Associates. It is why DBMMC belongs to organizations like the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives and participates in collaborative efforts like the Agriculture Workforce Coalition. It is why DBMMC took a group of farmers to Washington, D.C., in June and why we’ll be returning in November.

As important as our work in D.C. is, there is still something to be said for interacting with lawmakers and policymakers on your home turf, talking to them in their home districts or, better yet, getting them on the farm. The connections made there have the potential to be longer lasting and more profound. That is why going “back to our roots” is more than just a creative name for Secretary Perdue’s recent road trip. Indeed, it is a concept that gets to the very heart of what it means to advocate for agriculture.

In the United States, only a very small group of us still farm. However, most of us can find a family history in agriculture by going back a few generations. Going back to our roots, reconnecting our policymakers with the land that sustained their families in the not-so-distant past, is a powerful tool in helping them to understand the importance of supporting those families that still work that land to sustain us all.

Contact me to learn more about how you can get involved.

DBMMC board member Jerry Meissner (left) greets Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue.

Secretary Perdue speaks to attendees at the lunch hosted by Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation.