Our beloved home is truly both an urban and a rural state. More than 1.5 million Wisconsinites – over a quarter of our population – live in rural communities. Wisconsin is home to thriving and vibrant rural areas, rich with valuable natural resources, a proud agricultural heritage, and uniquely Wisconsin culture.
Yet our rural citizens also face unique challenges today – in terms of economic opportunity, as well as in securing the same level of access to world-class education and health care.
The loss of small family farms in the next generation is also a serious concern, since they represent the economic lifeblood and cultural legacy of rural communities across the state. Wisconsinites’ ties to the land are personal. My reverence for Wisconsin’s farmlands is passed down from my great-grandparents who worked the land, and it is a connection shared by so many Wisconsinites. Wisconsin ranks among the top 10 states for number of farms, but the total acreage devoted to farming is shrinking. Our state has lost nearly 9,000 farms – or 11 percent of our total– in five years.
Agricultural and related industries are the foundation of our rural economy, but they are far from the only economic opportunities. In addition to traditional agriculture and forest products, rural Wisconsin is home to related industries like manufacturing and tourism, and increasingly, renewable energy generation such as wind power – as well as the service and retail businesses that grow and thrive off these foundations. The education and health care professionals that serve these communities also make up an increasing part of their employment base and economic output.
Recently, I released my plan for rural Wisconsin. In it, I lay out concrete proposals that will strengthen our state to realize a vision for Wisconsin where we grow and sustain vibrant rural communities that can attract and retain the hard-working and highly skilled young people who represent our state’s future.
We need to grow new opportunities by creating conditions that attract strong industry clusters to rural areas. The cluster-based strategy I set forth in Invest for Success, my previously released jobs plan, will be vital to organizing economic development investments in rural Wisconsin, as well as in urban areas. The rural industry clusters of the 21st Century will build on regional strengths and new technologies to create benefits across interrelated businesses – from value-added food processing to innovative uses for forest products like woody biomass.
In order to achieve this vision, we need leadership that understands the importance of reinvesting in strong rural communities to ensure they offer the high quality of life and kinds of opportunities that young people and families seek in a place to put down roots. We need economic development policies that bring new jobs to our towns – both large and small, across Wisconsin – and that also preserve the integrity and quality of our valuable land and water resources for the next generation of farmers and families.
Moreover, we need to prioritize excellence in education and job training, and quality health care for our rural communities – features that are essential both to creating a high quality of life and to achieving our economic potential in today’s more competitive world.
As Governor, I will work with our rural communities to address a number of issues of critical importance to our state.
I will look for ways to expand broadband access into more of rural Wisconsin by lifting harmful regulations that stifle competition and restrict access in order to encourage rural businesses and entrepreneurs to participate in the global economy like never before.
I will seek to address the unique challenges faced by our rural public schools. This would include working to rollback the statewide expansion of vouchers.
I will place an emphasis on making sure that rural communities have access to the quality health care they need to stay healthy, including looking for ways to increase the number of primary care physicians and dentists in rural areas and securing more funding for critical access hospitals.
These are just a few of the ways in which I intend to strengthen our rural communities here in Wisconsin.
My goals are for Wisconsin’s rural communities to grow abundant economic opportunities that both attract and retain young talent and growing families; for quality healthcare to be equally accessible to rural Wisconsinites as it is to urban and suburban citizens, by increasing the health resources available to rural hospitals and clinics; and for students attending rural schools to be equally well prepared as those attending suburban and urban schools with a quality, relevant educational foundation that opens opportunities to pursue their individual aspirations.
And I know that by working together, we can build a strong rural Wisconsin that thrives alongside our urban and suburban communities.
Mary Burke is a former executive at Trek Bicycle, is a former secretary of the state Department of Commerce, and sits on the Madison School Board. Her plan to strengthen rural Wisconsin can be viewed at www.burkeforwisconsin.com/rural/