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Female farmers are running
Story Date: 2/22/2018
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Source: POLITICO'S MORNING AGRICULTURE, 2/21/18
Amid the wave of Democratic women running for office this cycle, more female farmers are joining the ranks.
Emily Best, who lives in McConnellsburg, Pa., and is the general manager of Tuscarora Organic Growers Co-Operative, is the first Democrat to run for the state senate seat in her locale in more than 10 years. It is a district where Donald Trump won nearly three-fourths of the vote in 2016.
"Democrats need to run everywhere," said Best. She tells MA she decided to jump into the campaign in part because there simply wasn't a Democrat running.
Best said she had been talking policy issues with farmers in her district, particularly about the difficulty and cost farmers face from meeting increasing food safety and environmental regulations. Best, who has a master's in environmental policy, said she thought there needed to be a better balance between ensuring food safety and conservation while not overburdening farmers.
Hearing out rural needs: Best says she's not sweating the fact that she's a Democrat running in Trump country, as she crisscrosses her largely rural district to talk with voters. "I think there were a lot of Democrats that voted for Trump; they're disgusted with politicians in general," she said. "People are frustrated that their lives aren't improving and that people say things are getting better when they're not in these areas."
A growing roster: The Female Farmer Project, a documentary project led by Audra Mulkern, an ag enthusiast in Duvall, Wash., features the stories of female farmers. She has been keeping tabs on the growing list of women who are running.
So far, the list also includes: Kriss Marion, a farmer running for Wisconsin state senate; Kathleen Vinehout a dairy farmer running for governor in Wisconsin; Lisa Segar a farmer running for a state house seat in Texas; Sylvia Hammond, a potato farmer running for a Washington state house seat; LaDonna Redmond, an urban farmer running for county commissioner in Hennepin County, which includes a large part of Minneapolis; and Brandy Brooks, an urban agriculture guru and food justice advocate running for an at-large seat on the Montgomery County Council in Maryland.
Hit us up: Did we miss anyone? We're trying to keep tabs of all the farmers running for office (both men and women!). Shoot us a line with other names!
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