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Wisconsin Farm Bureau says election brought mixed results

A Wisconsin Farm Bureau leader says Tuesday’s election brought opportunities and some disappointment.

Jason Mugnaini tells Brownfield with Republicans taking the White House and Senate, it’s not the time to take their foot off the gas on important issues for farmers. “Talking about a farm bill, talking about issues that matter to this state, finding market access for dairy products that come from Wisconsin, delisting the gray wolf, a huge thing that we need to take a very strong look at.”

Mugnaini says those things are possible under a Republican Senate and White House, and as for Farm Bureau endorsed Democratic Senator Tammy Baldwin, “I think she remains a key crossover-potential voter on agricultural issues and I think that her support of agriculture has spanned several administrations, and several iterations of the United States Senate on both the majority and the minority. I don’t think that’s going to change in any capacity.”

Mugnaini says his biggest concern is what happens in the Wisconsin State Senate now that Ag Committee Chair Joan Ballweg has been defeated in a recently-redrawn district. “She was a stallwart supporter of farmers’ issues and ran the agriculture committee in the State Senate for a long time. That’s going to take some change, and whoever fills that role has got big shoes to fill.”

Mugnaini says Farm Bureau has an opportunity now to work with incumbents and new members to showcase the issues in agriculture and rural communities.