La Crosse, WI— Today, Rep. Ron Kind announced that he received the 2020 Friend of the Family Farmer Award from Wisconsin Farmers Union. First given in 2013, this award recognizes those who have gone above and beyond in their efforts to uplift rural communities and family farmers.   

With COVID-19 hampering markets that are critical for our farmers and upending food supply chains, this has been a challenging time for our family farmers. After consulting with farmers across the district, Rep. Kind took action and made a plan to ensure Wisconsin farmers had the resources they needed to get through this crisis while also introducing legislation to protect the long-term future of America’s Dairyland.  

“Without our family farmers’ dedication to growing our nation’s food and fuel, our communities would be very different places,” said Rep. Ron Kind. “Wisconsin’s family farmers are the bedrock of our local and rural economies, and I am proud to have received the 2020 Friend of the Family Farmer Award for fighting on their behalf. I will continue my advocacy and commitment to doing work that is good for Wisconsin’s family farmers and rural communities.”  

“We are pleased to present Congressman Ron Kind with the Friend of the Family Farmer award for 2020. Rep. Kind understands the issues impacting rural Wisconsin and is a true champion for dairy farmers and all of agriculture. We thank him for his leadership and commitment to family farmers and rural communities,” said Darin Von Ruden, Wisconsin Farmers Union President. 

This year, Rep. Kind introduced bipartisan legislation with the help and support of Wisconsin Farmers Union to evaluate the difficulties facing Wisconsin’s family farmers and recommend solutions needed to secure the future of Wisconsin dairy. Wisconsin has led the nation in farm bankruptcies for the past two years, underscoring the need to take substantive steps toward identifying and implementing critical reforms and ensuring our family farmers have the tools they need to succeed. 

In April, Rep. Kind released his Family Farm Rescue Plan, which focused on five concrete steps that the Administration could take to support family farmers during the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, he called for ensuring that farmers are eligible for all small business relief programs like the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and later introduced bipartisan legislation expanding family farmers’ access to the PPP. He also called for ensuring that family farmers receive their fair share of federal aid dollars, which have often been disproportionately targeted to the largest agribusinesses in the country.

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