TRANSCRIPT:
Four generations. That’s how deep Farm Bureau runs in my blood. My great grandfather helped to start the Farm Bureau in Smith County. My parents met at a young farmers meeting here, and my dad, as a young man, was president of the Smith County Farm Bureau. I grew up working on this farm that’s been in our family for eight generations, milking cows, working livestock, raising crops. So my hands know what it’s like to have a real involvement in agriculture in this state. We’re at a turning point in the history of this state and we need someone who has the experience, the kind of experience I got working on this farm, building businesses over three decades, working hard to help save our Tennessee State Fair. We’re at a turning point for Tennessee, and we need someone who has the experience, has the tenacity, and is prepared to lead this state over the next eight years.
As I’ve been crossing the state and talking to Tennesseans, I’ve been hearing five issues that come up often: number one, education; number two, infrastructure and roads; number three, access to health care, particularly in our rural areas; number four, access to energy; and number five, economic development and job creation, again particularly in our rural areas.
But if I was summing it up in three issues, Tennesseans want a governor who will: number one, listen to them — not someone who just talks to them, but someone who listens to the issues and concerns they have; number two, apply our Tennessee values — faith, family, and freedom — to taking on the challenges and solving the problems of Tennessee; and number three, be true to Tennessee — someone who will protect the unique nature and quality of Tennessee.
As a farmer myself, I understand how tough these times are. Farmers today are caught in a cost-price squeeze unlike any we’ve experienced since the late ’70s and early 1980s. Just like I’ve approached other problems across the state, I would start by talking with farmers and seeing how they think we can best respond. We need to invest in our roads, our rivers, and our ports — ways to help make sure that farmers can get their products to market efficiently. We also need to incentivize farmers to produce more efficiently and more economically. I would continue to support and potentially expand the Tennessee Agricultural Enhancement Program to make the kind of investments that allow farmers to add value to the products they’re producing. The secret to success for agriculture is profitability. Farmers don’t want a handout — they want to be successful doing what they do best, which is producing the food and fiber that this nation and the world needs.
Infrastructure and roads are the number one thing I hear about from Tennesseans on the campaign trail. For agriculture, it’s not just a talking point or about convenience — it’s a lifeline for farmers to get the inputs they need to the farm and to get the products they produce to market. And so it’s not just roads — it’s railways, our river system, the ports that we have. It’s about making sure farmers have access to broadband and cellular technology, all of the things needed to make for successful farms. As governor, I’ll make sure that we not only maintain our roads, but expand them to meet the needs of our state.
Ultimately, farm profitability is the answer. We’ve got to make sure that it’s more rewarding to stay on the farm than it is to leave the farm — not only for this generation, but for the next generation. I would support programs like the Greenbelt Program, the Agricultural Sales Tax Exemption, and the Farmland Preservation Program. When it comes to zoning and how we regulate land use, we always need to make sure that farmers have a seat at the table. It’s been said that if you don’t have a seat at the table, then you may be on the menu. We also need to make sure that we don’t let agricultural land be snapped up by the Chinese and other outside investors, and we have to have laws that protect our farmland from these foreign entities.
Every generation of American farmers faced a choice: adopt the new or fall behind. We embraced mechanization, developed hybrid seeds, and through science developed an amazing array of crop protectants that allow American agriculture to be more productive and food more affordable for American citizens. We have no choice but to continue to do that. If we don’t do that here in this country, we’ll fall behind — and we don’t want this country to be dependent on foreign countries to feed our own people. We want to maximize our ability to feed a hungry world. We should adopt these new technologies, and we should have leaders who will zealously defend the science and defend the access that farmers need to the technologies and crop protectants that allow them to be the most productive.
Tennessee’s wildlife is a treasure, and Tennessee farmers are its greatest stewards. But when wild hogs put pressure on a soybean field, when a black vulture takes a newborn calf — an issue I’ve worked on in Congress — or when deer put pressure on the profitability of Tennessee corn producers, it’s not a wildlife success story, it’s a Tennessee farm family crisis. We need a governor who understands these challenges and will put in place policies that not only help to steward our wildlife but protect the profitability of Tennessee farmers.
I would not be sitting at this table today, I would not be running for governor, had it not been for the experiences I got through 4-H, FFA, and young farmers. As governor, it would be my great honor to continue the leadership I’ve provided over the last 30 years to help garner the resources and direct the policies that will lead to successful programs — so that the students who are the future of Tennessee agriculture have what they need to be successful. Not every student needs a four-year degree, but they do need an understanding of how our food and fiber is produced. We need to make sure we give them the tools to acquire the knowledge to succeed in the future and to feed a hungry world.
Four generations of Farm Bureau. Eight generations on this very farm. Three decades spent building successful businesses and a track record of supporting Farm Bureau when it really mattered. But don’t take my word for it, read about my record. A strong farm, a strong family, a strong Tennessee. I’m John Rose and I’m asking for your vote.
