Ricketts receives farm bureau, cattleman's endorsements

With the backing of the Nebraska Farm Bureau, Republican gubernatorial candidate Pete Ricketts believes he can win the votes of farmers and ranchers across the state.

“Agriculture is the heart and soul of what we do here in Nebraska,” Ricketts said during a stop in Sidney last week. “It’s our largest industry. So if we’re going to grow the state, we’re going to grow it because agriculture is strong.”

He called the backing of the Nebraska Farm Bureau as well as the Nebraska Cattleman Association incredibly important. Ricketts recently received the official support of both organizations.

The farm bureau chose to endorse Ricketts for several reasons, said Steve Nelson president of the Nebraska Farm Bureau Federation. These reasons include Ricketts’ understanding of Nebraska’s property tax issues. Many farmers believe that the state is over-reliant on property taxes, he said. Ricketts’ understanding of the importance of water is also meaningful to farm bureau members.

“Water is the life-blood of agriculture,” Nelson said.

Ricketts’ support of livestock development is also important to Nebraska ranchers.

“We’re the best place in the country to raise livestock,” Nelson said.

Nebraska has ample land to grow feed as well as good area for calf rearing, he said. In addition to that, the state can grow its economy by raising more pigs and poultry.

“There’s also a great opportunity for economic development through all of Nebraska, which Pete understands very well,” Nelson said.

Mark McHargue, the first vice president of the farm bureau’s political action committee explained that his organization does not take candidate endorsement lightly.

“It’s not a casual endorsement that we make when it comes to a governor’s race,” he said.

The Nebraska Farm Bureau has organized chapters in 85 Nebraska counties, representing thousands of farm and ranch families and members in all 93 counties.

The bureau sends a survey to every county to determine which candidate its farmers and ranchers know and support.

“Pete has worked very hard at getting to know our members over the last months,” McHargue said. “And that was very evident as we came up on this time period, that our members knew Pete, that they knew what he stands for.”

An endorsement from the members must then go through the PAC committee and the farm bureau board before it’s official.

“This isn’t the backing of the Nebraska Farm Bureau board, it’s not the backing of just the Nebraska Farm Bureau PAC committee, it’s the backing of the farm and ranch families from across Nebraska,” McHargue said. “And that’s what gives the credit to our endorsement.”

The organization backs Ricketts not only with public support, but financially as well.

“Probably as important or maybe more important than the money is the fact that our members are going to work hard for Pete,” Nelson said.

These members will walk in parades for Ricketts, take part in campaign events and put up signs on his behalf.

“From our perspective it’s that kind of people connection, that grassroots connection that is the bigger piece than just the financial part,” Nelson said.

Ricketts believes that Nebraska needs to keep an eye on climate change.

“I would say that we need to continue to study climate change,” Ricketts said. “And to see where it goes. I would want to be cautious about making any policies that negatively impact agriculture but obviously as being an ag state we absolutely have to understand what the impacts of climate change are going to be.”

The general election race for governor will be much different than the Republican primary, Ricketts said.

“In the Republican primary you had six conservative folks whose views on most of the issues were pretty much the same,” Ricketts said. “Coming into the general election, you’re going to see a stark contrast between me and my opponent.”

Democratic candidate Chuck Hassebrook will run the state with programs that work from the top down with big government solutions, while he will focus on growing the state, Ricketts said.

“Because if you come from business you know if you’re not growing, you’re dying,” he said. “We have to do a better job of keeping our young people here, of bringing in people from across the country to Nebraska, of growing the economy.”

Hassebrook favors Medicaid expansion, while Ricketts does not.

“For me, if you expand Medicaid, that means you’re going to be taking away dollars from education and from roads,” he said.

Hassebrook is pro-choice while Ricketts is pro-life.

“I believe that life begins at conception,” Ricketts said. “He’s been endorsed by Planned Parenthood.”

Growing agriculture and manufacturing go hand in hand, in Ricketts’ opinion.

“If you think about what Cabela’s has meant to Sidney as far as creating jobs and helping people stay here, we have to have the same opportunities in all our towns across the state,” Ricketts said.

Manufacturing creates the same kind of opportunities in western Nebraska.

Ricketts knows that the things keeping young people in their small hometowns in Nebraska include family connection, jobs for both spouses and quality of life, which means access to healthcare, shopping and restaurants.

Good-paying manufacturing jobs which provide full healthcare benefits let the hospital know it will get paid for its services. Manufacturing workers have the disposable income to support restaurants and coffee shops that contribute to quality of life. Good opportunities in manufacturing and agriculture will draw young people to the state, Ricketts said.

Personal property tax exemptions for young farmers are important, in Ricketts’ mind. Financing is tough for those starting out in farming, especially for those who don’t inherit a family farm or ranch.

The farm bureau endorsement is very important, observed Lieutenant Governor Lavon Heidemann.

“This is the organization that you want behind you,” he said. “And I appreciate the fact that they understand that this guy’s going to be with them every step of the way once they get him in as the next administration.”

This endorsement will let those in the panhandle know that Ricketts is serious about supporting agriculture, he said.

“He gets it, we’ve just got to convince the people that he gets it,” Heidemann said. “When we sat down and talked about me being his Lieutenant Governor, I went into that meeting convinced that I was going to talk to him about the importance of agriculture and rural Nebraska. His first 15 minutes was informing me of the importance of rural Nebraska and agriculture. I will never forget that.”