This spring, the national spotlight will turn to Wisconsin as a pivotal state in the presidential election. A coalition of farm and civic groups hope to use that opportunity to highlight the impacts of monopoly power in agriculture and food sectors and to elevate the issues that matter to rural America.
Wisconsin Farmers Union hopes to draw presidential candidates to Dunn County on March 29 for the Dairyland Forum and Rally for Rural Wisconsin. The event, which is free and open to the public, is designed to provide an opportunity for presidential candidates to engage with voters and share stances on rural issues.
“Monopolization and lack of enforcement of federal anti-trust laws are having a direct impact on family farms and businesses across Wisconsin, and the Dairyland Forum will offer an opportunity to learn more about that
topic while also celebrating and sampling the great local fare America’s Dairyland has to offer, with craft beers, cheese, brats and more,” said WFU Executive Director Julie Bomar. “We will also have a great line-up of
family farmers and rural and civic leaders slated to speak throughout the day on the issues impacting family farms and rural towns.”
The event will be held at the Dunn County Fairgrounds, 620 17th Street, Menomonie. The doors open at noon, with the Rally for Rural Wisconsin kicking off at 1pm and candidate forum at 2 p.m., followed by a call to action and music, dancing and sampling of local fare. RSVPs should be made at www.wisconsinfarmersunion.com/dairylandforum. Bus
routes are being organized from the Appleton, Superior and Madison areas, with more details to follow.
The WFU is organizing the event in partnership with Citizen Action, Equal Exchange Co-op, Family Farm Action and Voces de le Frontera. Candidates will be asked questions about monopolization in agriculture, loss of family farms, decline of rural and tribal food systems, education, roads and transportation, access to health care, capital to address growing mental health and addiction issues in rural communities, and their vision for a fair and just economy that helps all people thrive. WFU officials said they don’t anticipate final confirmation from candidates until the final days leading up to the event; candidates will be announced as they are confirmed.
“Farmers and rural communities are suffering from the increasingly harmful effects of lack of competition in markets like seed, dairy, livestock processing, grain, and fertilizer,” said WFU President Darin Von Ruden.
“Today ‘The Big 4’ companies now control the majority of meat processing in the United States. It’s time that we address corporate power in food systems and political life and look toward a fair economic democracy that serves all people.”
— From a Wisconsin Farmers Union press release
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