This was a challenging year for everyone, but especially for those living in rural areas. Many rural communities were hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing economic crisis. This impact was exacerbated by several underlying factors: Rural America is still waiting on reliable broadband infrastructure, over 30% of rural roads are in poor or mediocre condition, and farmers have been battered by low commodity prices, the trade war with China, and mounting bankruptcies.
As President-elect Joe Biden prepares to take office, he must recognize that many rural people do not think that Democrats have a message that they can relate to. This is unfortunate, but also something that can easily be solved by a president committed to representing everyone, as Biden has said many times he would do.
In fact, Biden would be well served to pursue a rural economic development strategy in partnership with rural communities to invest in their unique assets, with the goal of giving young people more options to live, work, and raise the next generation in rural America.
Such a strategy should advance policies that provide farmers and ranchers with the tools they need to manage risk, open up more markets for U.S. commodities, ensure a regulatory system that is fair and transparent, and enable the technology farmers need to grow more food while improving the environment.
Rural residents need policies that expand access to foreign markets, eliminate tariffs and trade wars that hurt equipment manufacturers, workers, and farmers, and insist that we hold our trading partners accountable when they violate trade agreements. Biden must also prioritize the long-term investment in rural infrastructure and focus on critical rural needs, including water and affordable housing, expanded broadband access, updated agriculture research facilities, and an enhanced ability to supply affordable, reliable, and secure power for the rural economy.
Farmers and ranchers also need policies that provide the tools and technological advancements to continue U.S. agriculture’s leadership in meeting the food, fiber, fuel, feed, and climate demands of the future.
Biden’s selection of former U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to again head the agency is a step in the right direction as it signals that the incoming administration will prioritize support for U.S. growers and producers as well as rural communities that are struggling as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Democrats and Republicans alike have every reason to promote a pro-manufacturing agenda because the manufacturing industry has an outsized role in the politically critical heartland region and because rural communities are essential to the health of our nation. These policies would especially benefit equipment manufacturers, who this year grappled with disruptions to their businesses due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with many experiencing financial and operational consequences.
The 2.8 million men and women who make equipment that builds, powers, and feeds the world are not just welders, fabricators, and machinists. Some are farmers and ranchers. And 1 in 3 of them live and work in rural communities across the country, compared to just 1 in 5 people overall in the U.S. Our industry is not only deeply connected to rural America, but we are a big part of it.
Strong rural communities that provide people with quality education, state-of-the-art infrastructure, economic certainty for farmers and ranchers, 21st-century innovations, and family-sustaining jobs are critical to the long-term success of equipment manufacturers.
Biden has laid out an ambitious agenda for how to “Build Back Better in Rural America,” including creating millions of new jobs, standing up for farmers and ranchers, expanding broadband to everyone, and investing in rural public schools and colleges.
These are important policy goals that equipment manufacturers strongly support to build a more resilient and prosperous rural America. The time for action is now.
Kip Eideberg is the senior vice president of government and industry relations for the Association of Equipment Manufacturers.
