Where does our food come from? It’s a question we think of a lot while grocery shopping or sitting down for a meal with our family. Of course, the answer is our farmers. Farming is hard, but satisfying work. They play a critical role in feeding the world and they rely on climate conditions for a productive crop. Farmers are also aware of pollinators’ essential role in helping them do their job.

Long before I entered politics, I worked in the private sector. From an early age, I was needed for my father’s business to mop floors, empty trash and eventually clean windows. As high school graduation approached, my father sat down with me and laid out why he wanted me to forgo college and continue working with him, hoping someday I’d buy the business from him. Thus, my future, as owner and manager of Bob Smith Window Cleaning, was set.

Like many households and businesses, the state operates on a budget. We have a biennial budget in Wisconsin, meaning it begins July 1st of each odd numbered year and ends June 30th of the following odd numbered year.

Misleading ‘Product of the USA’ Label is Hurting American Farmers

It’s a rite of summer to fire up the grill and enjoy burgers and steaks cooked to sizzling perfection. Or, in sadder cases, charred to an unrecognizable blackened blob. Whether you’re one of the lucky folks feasting on a grillmaster’s gourmet handiwork or instead find yourself chomping charred protein, do you know where the beef on your plate originated?

While the weather has warmed up, I’ve been able to hold more Stop N’ Talks and meet people throughout the district. During these visits, the question I’m asked most often is “Can’t you just get along?”

Let’s face it, political philosophies often prevent elected officials from actually getting done what is expected of them. No news there.

We love our beer and cheese in Wisconsin. But Wisconsin is more than beer and cheese. A whole lot more.

Please note, this column contains sensitive information regarding mental health and suicide. Information and statistics in this column come from the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).

I had an amazing conversation with a number of constituents who attended my budget listening session last week. The attendees, who were strangers to each other, shared personal and heartfelt stories. They made it clear that the decisions made by their legislators truly do affect them and their communities.

6:30 a.m. on Saturday morning. My phone buzzes with a text. “What are your thoughts on Walz ordering the National Guard to Brooklyn Center?”