AMERICA’S FARMERS AND RANCHERS - I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU.

I’m asking a serious question tonight, and I want answers from the people actually working the land.

Not politicians.

Not lobbyists sitting behind desks.

Not somebody who has never planted a crop, worked cattle, worried about a well going dry, watched the weather destroy a year’s work, or wondered whether there would be enough money left after harvest to do it all again next year.

I want to hear from you.

Farmers and ranchers from Colorado, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Texas, Wyoming, Montana and every corner of this country.

What is the biggest threat facing your operation right now?

Is it water?

Fertilizer?

Fuel?

Feed?

Land prices?

Property taxes?

Interest rates?

Commodity prices?

Labor?

Government regulation?

Development taking agricultural land?

Drought?

Or is it something the rest of us aren’t even talking about?

And here’s the question I really want you to answer:

If you could walk into your State Capitol or Washington tomorrow and change ONE thing affecting your farm or ranch, what would it be?

Tell me.

Because I want to come see it for myself.

Through Cattleman’s Creed, I intend to travel across Colorado and eventually beyond our state, meeting farmers and ranchers on their own ground.

I want to sit at your kitchen table.

Walk your fields.

Look at your soil.

See your water situation.

Stand beside your cattle.

And listen.

Then I want to take what we’re hearing, the good and the bad to legislators, agricultural agencies, State Capitols and, when appropriate, Washington.

I can’t promise that I can fix every problem.

I can promise I’ll listen.

I can document what producers are telling us.

I can look for resources that may help.

And I can carry those concerns into rooms where agricultural policy is being discussed.

I’m not interested in telling America’s farmers and ranchers what they need.

I want them to tell me.

These men and women aren’t simply running businesses.

They’re taking care of the land, raising livestock, growing crops and helping feed this country.

And I believe their voices deserve to be heard before decisions affecting their livelihoods are made.

So I’m asking you personally:

If you farm or ranch anywhere in America, leave a comment or send me a message.

Tell me where you’re from.

Tell me what you raise or grow.

And tell me the ONE thing you would change if somebody finally put the microphone in your hands.

I’m listening.

Let’s find out what American agriculture actually has to say.

Cattleman’s Creed

Protect the water. Strengthen the soil. Support the producer. Preserve American agriculture.