Editorial: The fight for America's farming communities

By Theodore Ross

I'm excited to share that our latest story, out this morning, is our first in collaboration with The New York Times. At FERN, our mission is to transform the food system through compelling journalism and storytelling. We do this by working with partners who can help our stories have greater impact. Working with The New York Times, particularly its opinion section, means we're connecting with perhaps the most influential audience in modern journalism. We're part of a select group of nonprofit news organizations featured in their pages, sending a clear message to our readers and supporters: Our work makes a difference.

In “Vance Thinks He Knows Rural America. Walz Disagrees,” longtime FERN contributor Ted Genoways travels to La Vista, Nebraska, to write about a bitter battle between America's two major political parties. It's an ideological tug-of-war between Democratic vice presidential candidate and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and his Republican counterpart, Senator JD Vance. At stake is who will be the standard-bearer for rural, farming communities in the middle of the country:

“For a generation or more, most politicians who visited towns like La Vista were Republicans who told their listeners a familiar story: that government was in their way, that the welfare state sucked their sweat and tears to serve the lazy poor, that rugged individualism still prevailed. It's the same story that Mr. Vance and his fellow Republicans tell today. Mr. Walz makes a bold attempt to set the narrative right by telling a different story.”

Ted Genoways is one of the smartest reporters and commentators on the American hinterland – what politicians like to call “the heartland” – that we have today. And what makes him so significant is that he takes the stories these candidates want to tell and compares them to real life:

“Mr. Walz knows from painful experience how badly Republican politicians have failed rural America by defunding public institutions that are critical to the survival of small towns and farms… The question now is whether Mr. Walz and Ms. Harris can convince voters who distrust and even despise the Democratic Party that they have a better vision for restoring rural America.”

The Food & Environment Reporting Network is independent and nonpartisan. That doesn't mean we shy away from reporting on politics. This story isn't just about who gets vice president. It's about how our candidates understand themselves and the country. The stakes are high for the food system, the environment, and our society. We need to be clear about who wants to speak for “real Americans” and why. I hope you'll read it and share it with people you know.

As always, I want to thank everyone who contributes to our work at FERN. We need your support and I hope you will consider donating to FERN so we can continue to bring you this kind of reporting and articles.