2026 Candidate Education Summer Farm Tour: Wisconsin Gubernatorial Hopefuls Hear Directly from Farmers

As the Wisconsin August 11 partisan primary race for governor grabs more headlines and attention, Michael Fields Agricultural Institute is bringing focus to agricultural issues through our 2026 Candidate Education Summer Farm Tour. Since June, MFAI has been reaching out to the candidates and inviting them for in-field conversations with some of the regenerative farmers we work with on research, education, and policy projects.

So far this summer, we’ve toured with four Wisconsin gubernatorial candidates on farms across the state to hear directly from farmers about the opportunities and challenges they face. MFAI Policy Director Chuck Anderas facilitated the discussions and asked a series of similar questions at each farm, to both candidate and farmer. While each visit had its own focus, several common themes emerged:

-Supporting profitable farms

-Protecting productive farmland as we invest in renewable energy

-Uplifting shared rural and urban priorities to achieve a sustainable energy future

-Conserving our natural resources

-Finding practical solutions that strengthen both agriculture and rural communities

-Seeing hope in the next generation of farmers

The summaries below give you some sense of what our farmer friends wanted to communicate to a potential future governor of their state. The videos are just small pieces of the great conversations we had with the candidates. You can learn more about the farmers in their Candidate Education Summer Farm Tour Flickr albums.

We'll continue to release more videos from each visit (and upcoming visits) in the next few days on social media, and they will be uploaded to the Candidate Education Summer Farm Tour playlist at MFAI's YouTube channel. Please stay tuned and reach out with your thoughts and ideas to canderas@michaelfields.org.

Mandela Barnes at Marth Homestead Farm

Former Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes visited Marth Homestead Farm to discuss the future of farmland, renewable energy, and rural communities. Conversations focused on balancing private property rights with the long-term importance of preserving productive farmland for future generations. Farmers emphasized that renewable energy projects can be compatible with agriculture through practices like grazing livestock beneath solar panels or establishing pollinator habitat. The discussion also explored how clean energy projects can provide greater benefits for local communities, ensuring that economic opportunities extend beyond individual landowners while maintaining agriculture as the primary long-term use of the land.

When asked what gives him hope for the future of agriculture in Wisconsin, Mandela Barnes said, "there are people who are interested in it but don't necessarily know what that entry point could be for them, and I'm excited about the future because we get a chance to create those entry points, to make it easier for people that want to be able to stay on the land and also to get people on the land for the very first time."

See the Flickr album from the day, with more videos and photos.

Joel Brennan at Jim Stute's Farm in East Troy

Joel Brennan's visit highlighted the value of farmer-led conservation, research partnerships, and science-based decision making. Discussions focused on expanding successful programs such as producer-led watershed groups and cost-share opportunities that help farmers adopt cover crops and other conservation practices. Brennan emphasized the need to rebuild trust between researchers and farmers by supporting locally generated data and listening to producers' experiences. The conversation also addressed climate resilience, renewable energy development that respects communities and farmland, and the importance of making policy decisions grounded in evidence while ensuring local voices remain central to the process.

Farmer and agronomist Jim Stute talks about the importance of state programs like the DATCP Producer-Led Watershed Program that allows flexibility for farmers to try new and innovative conservation practices. 

See the Flickr Album of the Day, with more videos and photos.

Kelda Roys at Al Sweeney's Farm in Edgerton

Senator Kelda Roys focused her visit on protecting farmland, strengthening rural infrastructure, and building common ground between rural and urban communities. Roys discussed renewed investment in Wisconsin's Purchase of Agricultural Conservation Easement (PACE) program as a way to preserve farmland, support farm transitions, and improve land access for beginning farmers. She also highlighted the importance of investing in conservation to protect roads, bridges, and other public infrastructure. Throughout the discussion, Roys emphasized that rural and urban communities share many interests—from protecting clean water to supporting local economies—and argued that collaborative problem-solving is essential to meeting Wisconsin's agricultural and environmental challenges. She also stressed the importance of protecting prime farmland while directing large-scale renewable energy projects toward more appropriate locations.

According to state Senator Kelda Roys, some things the state can do is helping with succession planning, helping farmers have secure retirements through the state health insurance and retirement system, helping producers "chase profits rather than yields," and creating more producer-led cooperatives.

See the Flickr album from the day, with more photos and videos.

Sara Rodriguez at Bouressa Family Farm in New London

While Lieutenant Governor Sara Rodriguez has recently suspended her campaign, we still wanted to share videos from her visit to Bouressa Family Farm because we think all candidates, and voters, can benefit from listening to her conversation with Rachel Bouressa, a beef grazier. Her visit centered on regenerative agriculture, clean water, and renewable energy. After hearing about rising input costs and the challenges facing family farms, Rodriguez emphasized the importance of supporting small- and mid-sized farmers while expanding incentives for regenerative farming practices. She also highlighted the role these practices can play in protecting water quality and reducing long-term costs. On renewable energy, Rodriguez discussed agrivoltaics as a way to keep farmland productive while generating clean energy, stressing that successful projects depend on how developers work with local communities. She also spoke about combating misinformation around renewable energy and finding common ground between rural and urban Wisconsin through shared priorities like clean air, clean water, and healthy communities.

Lieutenant Governor Sara Rodriguez and farmer Rachel Bouressa discuss the nuances of how solar projects and agriculture can coexist in rural areas.

See the Flickr album from the day for more videos and lots of great photos.

Looking Ahead

These farm visits reinforced the importance of bringing policymakers and farmers together for honest conversations about Wisconsin's future. While the candidates offered different perspectives, each engaged directly with farmers on issues ranging from conservation and climate resilience to farmland preservation, rural economic development, and renewable energy. And we’re not done yet!

Our team will be visiting Meadowlark Farm and Mill with Francesca Hong the first week in August - so stay tuned. We’re still working to coordinate farm visits with David Crowley, and Tom Tiffany, so stay tuned for more vidoes and resources to better understand where these candidates stand on issues important to regenerative agriculture and rural communities in Wisconsin.

Important Voting Dates in Wisconsin

The day to vote in-person in the upcoming partisan primary is August 11. Is your voter registration up to date? If you have moved or changed your name since the last time you voted, you must register again. You can register to vote on Election Day, but you must have proof of residence with you. Polls are open from 7am to 8pm on Election Day.

Call 608-285-2141 get up-to-date, non-partisan information on any questions you might have. Here are other pertinent dates:

Vote Absentee:

-Request an absentee ballot by Aug. 6. You make the request online at myvote.wi.gov and get updates about the status of your ballot there, too.

-Mail your ballot back by Aug. 1. Clerks must receive your ballot by 8 p.m. Aug. 11 for your vote to count.

-You can also return your absentee ballot by bringing it to your clerk's office, an early voting location, your polling place or, if your community has one, a central count location on Election Day. Check with your municipal clerk.

Early Voting:

Early voting in the primary is possible July 28 through Aug. 9.

Contact your municipal clerk to find out what opportunities to vote early are happening in your ward.

The general election is on November 3.