WASHINGTON — The 2020 outlook for Wisconsin’s agriculture industry was bleak.

“We know that our ag sector across the country, and certainly in Wisconsin, has been not only strained and challenged by the pandemic, but also has seen hard times for several years running," said Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisconsin.

Before COVID-19 hit, it seemed like many farmers in the state were facing their own pandemic for years. Western Wisconsin alone saw the highest total farm bankruptcy filings over the last decade of any state according to the American Farm Bureau Federation.

Sen. Baldwin has been sounding that alarm for a while as a member of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee, especially to the department tasked with providing relief to farmers: the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). She says she’s keeping Wisconsin farmers top of mind now that she holds the gavel over the panel.

“One of the things that I was very critical of the previous administration for is really gutting the scientific programs within the [USDA]," said Sen. Baldwin. "We’ve seen huge attrition, and I believe that we have to rebuild the those programs that farmers rely on, day in and day out.”

Tom Vilsack, former Obama-era USDA head, was confirmed by the Senate last month to lead the department again. He believes Baldwin’s focus on innovation as chair should lead to a healthy working relationship between to the two.

“The senator has been very keen on the Business Innovation Center that she helped to put together and part of that involves the science of dairy and developing new and creative ways to use dairy products to create new market opportunities for dairy producers," said Vilsack. "So there's a wide range both large and small on the on the research side that needs to be a focus of our activities are next four years.”

Baldwin says she's committed to creating a sustainable economy in the agricultural sector post-pandemic. 

"There's all sorts of ways to do that," said Sen. Baldwin. "Whether that's strengthening risk management tools, and making sure that those insurance risk management programs are funded, but also investing in the sort of research we need for our farmers — be they conventional or organic farmers — to be able to be on the cutting edge of our agricultural economy globally."