The intersection of where farming and politics intersect may have been best displayed in the most recent presidential election.  Bruce Vincent is a farmer, logger, rancher and advocate from Libby, MT.  He said starting in 2008, the national economy has struggled, and while it hurt main street America hard, he adds it was the rural areas that suffered the most, not just now, but over the past couple of decades.

 

“The last couple of years, Americans have been taking a different look, the slowest recovery from a recession in history, and people are trying to figure out why, we have a president now, we have an administration now, that is at lease addressing that.  New wealth in this nation is created in rural America, the rest of the nation plays with it.”

 

Vincent said whether it’s government regulation, taxes, the EPA, many Americans are reevaluating how business is conducted in Washington D.C., and how it will impact the use of natural resources.  He said what’s happening to the American farmer happened to the American logger in the 1980s and 1990s.  And he added many are saying enough is enough.

 

“And I think America is tired of being scared, the society in America has heard three times that they are going to die in 12.2 years, they’re sick and tired of hearing that.  And that’s our door to walk through, we can give them a message of hope, how can we have a future in America?  Where’s the piece of economic pie for the next generation without compromising the environment.”

 

Vincent says from rural America’s prospective, farmers and ranchers need to figure out how to encourage young people to pursue a live in Natural Resources, to keep farming, timber and others alive.

 

 

If you have a story idea for the Washington Ag Network, call (509) 547-1618, or e-mail gvaagen@cherrycreekradio.com

More From PNW Ag Network