This week, Lt. Governor Mandela Barnes, candidate for U.S. Senate, launched a statewide agriculture tour to meet with farmers, meat processors, and agricultural policy experts to hear about the issues most important to them, including expanding rural broadband, access to quality health care, and supporting local economies.

What they’re saying:

The Cap Times: ‘Barnes for Barns’: Wisconsin LG hits the road to inform rural policy proposals

  • “Our farmers feed the country and are a pillar of our state’s economy,” Barnes said in a statement. “But corporate consolidation, bad trade deals, and climate change have put our farmers on the backfoot.” 

  • In February, Barnes released a policy paper that included provisions he said would bolster family farms. He pledged to fight for “a robust and fair Farm Bill,” which would be among the first major pieces of legislation he would work on in 2023 if elected.

  • “Wisconsin deserves a senator who is looking out for family farmers in Washington, not big corporations and special interests,” Barnes said Thursday. “I look forward to hearing directly from farmers who want Washington to start working for them.”

The Journal Times: A Democrat in Trump country? Senate hopeful Mandela Barnes ventures into Kansasville

  • It has been a long time since a Democrat won a race around here, but that is not discouraging lieutenant governor and U.S. Senate hopeful Mandela Barnes from wooing Racine County’s rural voters.

  • “Too often, in the political sense, people have left communities behind, have forgotten about rural Wisconsin,” Barnes said. “That’s not a mistake that we intend to make.”

  • Barnes said that Congress needs to play a role in supporting small family farms in Wisconsin, which he said are succumbing too often to economic pressures and shutting down. “I’m excited to come back to many areas and talk about the work that needs to happen in Washington, D.C., to help our family farmers,” he said. “We need to do everything we can to save an industry that has built this state.”

The Cap Times Editorial: Mandela Barnes has displayed a deep commitment to rural Wisconsin

  • But we were struck last week when Barnes, who had already outlined a comprehensive farm program, embarked on his “Barnes for Barns” tour of the state’s rural regions. The tour will take the candidate to Brown, Chippewa, Dane, Eau Claire, Green, La Crosse, Marathon and Racine counties. It will give him a chance to amplify his message: “Our farmers feed the country and are a pillar of our state’s economy. But corporate consolidation, bad trade deals, and climate change have put our farmers on the back foot.” It will also give me the chance to discuss his determination to get government on the side of working farmers. 

  • That’s not a new message for Barnes. He’s been championing it for years.

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