Representative Ron Kind recently announced the Family Farm Action Plan to help with the future of Wisconsin dairy farms. Kind explains that the plan gives support to the industry. “I think there are some basic elements to help farmers be successful. One is we need a robust trade agenda, given all the surplus that we are producing as a country. And then once we have trade agreements in place, we have to enforce them. And that’s true for the Mexican-Canada trade agreement now, we’re taking action against Canada, given their hesitation in opening up that market more for some of our dairy products.”
He said the plan also includes better internet access for farmers. “That’s crucial in the 21st century. And this coronavirus has highlighted the digital divide, the impact in the rural communities, that’s true for production agriculture, too.” Kind is also a member of a national broadband task force that he thinks should be a part of the action plan.
Lastly, the plan also helps protect organic standards in the state and supports conservation programs as well. “Want to make sure those organic standards are being abided by, that we don’t have other producers cheating, which would hurt organic. So, that too is something that we have to provide strong oversight with.” As far as conservation goes, he explained that our state’s farmers “appreciate the meaning of being a good steward of the land, maintaining that topsoil, protecting the quality water that’s vital to our communities, that too needs to be a part of the action plan.”
