Presidential candidates have started rolling out ag policy and I’m tired of the shtick

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You may have heard over the last week or so about agriculture policy platforms that 2020 presidential candidates are already rolling out. Mainly coming from the Democratic side, these proposals all seem to have a common theme - bust up big ag, focus on the “family farmer”, save rural America. Now, there’s nothing wrong with presidential candidates focusing on agriculture policy. In fact, I wish more of them would. But here’s the thing. Too often, candidates trot out policy that they know are softballs, easy wins in states where ag reigns supreme, like Iowa. Conveniently, Iowa is also a major primary state. The thing that really grinds my gears about this phenomenon is two part.

First, how often do we hear from these people besides during an election season? Crickets? Yes. And second, while I’m not blaming candidates for taking swings at the easy pitches, it does become incredibly frustrating when ag is simply trotted out like a prize pony at the state fair. Every four years, agriculture and rural America are used to represent how wholesome and family-oriented our candidates are. They wax poetic about how their great-grandfather farmed, and how they truly come from agrarian roots. They bemoan how urban life has become, and harken back to the good old days of how it used to be done. They pose for pictures, eating pork chops on sticks and amicably attempting to milk a cow or catch a pig. And they promise big, BIG wins for ag. They promise massive trade overhaul and new deals. They promise complete access to rural broadband services. They promise more aid, more research dollars, hammering harder on the big scary agribusinesses and the rural folks cheer. We believe them. We say, yes finally! We have a candidate who truly gets us, who actually wants to help rural America!

Then suddenly, after the glitz and glam of the primaries are over, all we hear are crickets again, except for maybe the odd robocall from a candidate when it’s down to the wire in November and they know they can count on your vote because hey, didn’t I visit your farm? When in agriculture are we going to hold our elected officials accountable? We’re all a fairly quiet folk, going about our business and just trying to get by without much thought to the people we elected, counting on them to remember us and our issues whenever something rears its head.

I get tired of ploys by the likes of Senators Booker, Warren, and Rand, promising checkoff reforms just to garner votes. I’m tired of the total transparency in watching what they’re doing. Unfortunately in ag, we’re all too often entirely too easily satisfied with crumbs, whether they be a hat and some cheese from the dairy co-op, or a calendar and new pair of gloves from the service repair guy. We fall for the crumbs every time with presidential candidates too, and it’s time to ask for pie instead.

Hold your elected officials’ feet to the fire. Chime in on issues when you think it’s warranted. Dig into what their policies are really proposing. Do they really represent you and your farm or business' needs? Don’t give away your vote just because someone looks good in their brand new Wranglers and promises to remember you and your family when it’s down to crunch time on the next farm bill or trade talks. They won’t, unless you make them.

It’s a hard truth to face, but without facing it, we’ll have to be content with more of the same, and no one but ourselves to blame.