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Harvest Public Media is a reporting collaboration focused on issues of food, fuel and field. Based at KCUR in Kansas City, Harvest covers these agriculture-related topics through an expanding network of reporters and partner stations throughout the Midwest.Most Harvest Public Media stories begin with radio- regular reports are aired on member stations in the Midwest. But Harvest also explores issues through online analyses, television documentaries and features, podcasts, photography, video, blogs and social networking. They are committed to the highest journalistic standards. Click here to read their ethics standards.Harvest Public Media was launched in 2010 with the support of a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Today, the collaboration is supported by CPB, the partner stations, and contributions from underwriters and individuals.Tri States Public Radio is an associate partner of Harvest Public Media. You can play an important role in helping Harvest Public Media and Tri States Public Radio improve our coverage of food, field and fuel issues by joining the Harvest Network.

Who Is (And Isn't) Representing America's Farmers In Congress

A tractor idled in a field that was too wet to farm in central Illinois this spring.
Madelyn Beck
/
Harvest Public Media
A tractor idled in a field that was too wet to farm in central Illinois this spring.

The USDA’s 2017 Ag Census recently revealedwhich congressional districts represent the most farm producers. 

It’s little surprise that the Midwest and Plains states dominate the top 20 slots. But the vast majority of U.S. House members have few farmers to answer to, compared to the rest of the people they represent. 

South Dakota ranks third on the list for the number of farm producers (48,913), and has just one representative, Republican Dusty Johnson. He said he has to work closely with other rural representatives to make sure farmers voices are heard.

“There are only a few dozen members of the U.S. House who represent districts that are more rural than urban, and mine is one of them,” he said. “No question, the people I work with most closely are the folks from states like Montana or North Dakota or other strong ag states like Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska.”

Speaking of Nebraska, its 3rd District represents the most farmers of any U.S. district at 55,834 farm producers. It also represents the most farms, 33,294. 

For GOP Rep. Adrian Smith, who speaks for the western two-thirds of the state, it’s a point of pride. 

“Even in the midst of challenges that we are facing in the ag economy, when you look at the innovation and the creativity and the hard work, it really shows what’s great about America,” he said.

Those challenges range from flooding to trade wars. Some like John Hansen, president of the Nebraska Farmers Union, are calling on members of Congress to do more, regardless of how many farmers they have in their district.

“Through the ’80s, there was an enormous amount of financial damage done,” he said, noting the loud calls for help that came along with it. “So this time, it’s just been a very quiet farmer-by-farmer exit going out the door. There’s not been a loud outcry.”

Here are key report highlights:

  • Iowa’s 4th District is No. 2 on the list with 54,187 farmers and 33,007 farms. It’s represented by embattled GOP Rep. Steve King. 

 

  • The rest of the Top 10 farm-producer congressional districts are in Minnesota, Oklahoma, Montana, Kansas, Missouri and North Dakota.
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  • The top 10% of farmer-heavy districts represented 40% of all farm producers.
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  • Congressional districts with the fewest farm producers were in urban centers in New Jersey, California, parts of New York state and Illinois (Chicago and its suburbs). 
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  • The bottom 10 districts represented a total of 68 farm producers and 45 farms.
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  • There are 421 congressional districts. When listed from most producers to least, the bottom half only represent 6% of all listed U.S. farm producers.
  • Some caveats: The report, while released this year, uses 2017 data; depended on voluntary census submissions; and only counts up to four producers on the same farm. That excludes extra producers on sprawling operations in the Midwest and additional producers on compact urban garden operations. 

    Follow Madelyn on Twitter: @madelynbeck8

    Copyright 2019 Harvest Public Media

    Madelyn Beck
    Madelyn Beck is a regional Illinois reporter, based in Galesburg. On top of her work for Harvest Public Media, she also contributes to WVIK, Tri-States Public Radio and the Illinois Newsroom collaborative. Beck is from a small cow ranch in Manhattan, Montana. Her previous work was mostly based in the western U.S., but she has covered agriculture, environment and health issues from Alaska to Washington, D.C. Before joining Harvest and the Illinois Newsroom, she was as an energy reporter based in Wyoming for the public radio collaborative Inside Energy. Other publications include the Idaho Mountain Express, E&E News/EnergyWire, KRBD Rainbird Radio, the Montana Broadcasters Association, Montana Public Radio and the Tioga Tribune.