News

Wisconsin farmer gains perspective on Ukraine farming

A Wisconsin farmer heard about the challenges faced by Ukrainian farmers while at the Ukraine embassy in Washington D.C. Wisconsin Farm Bureau President Kevin Krentz says, “That was educational and yet emotional.”

Krentz tells Brownfield he was in Washington to discuss farm policy recently, and he learned Ukrainian farmers are dealing with many of the same challenges American farmers face, all while at war with Russia. “They spoke on labor challenges. They spoke on infrastructure problems. They spoke on supply chain issues, but yet, they’re getting bombed every single day when they’re farming. It was such an emotional story that they shared with us.”

Krentz, who also traveled to Australia earlier this year, says it’s amazing how many farming challenges are similar around the globe, and the resiliency of the Ukrainian farmers amazes him. “In the Ukraine in general, the challenge that they have to feed their people and the resilience that they have to continue to do that on a day-to-day basis as they’re getting shot at, as they’re getting bombed, is just unbelievable.”

Krentz says the Ukrainian ambassador described how bombing and pollution have removed many acres of cropland for generations to come.  He says the Ukrainians are also dealing with grain storage and export problems due to bombing or flooding.