Congresswoman Baldwin makes campaign stop at Shafer Farms near Spring Valley

• Shafer family

Pictured from left to right: U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, Rose Shafer, Congresswoman and Senate candidate Tammy Baldwin, John and Jenny Shafer. Jenny is holding Zachary, four months old.
• Baldwin

Baldwin speaks about the need for a new Farm Bill. She is flanked from left to right by Wisconsin Farmers Union (WFU) President Darin Von Ruden, U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, WFU Board Member Janet Nelson and John Shafer.
• Tour

Three-and-a-half year old Rose Shafer showing Tammy Baldwin around the family farm Friday.

Talk about it

U.S. Senate candidate Tammy Baldwin's campaign made a stop through western Wisconsin Friday with the last stop being the Shafer Family Dairy Farm outside of Spring Valley.

Baldwin was joined on her swing through the St. Croix Valley region by U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar from Minnesota. The duo previously made stops at a Democratic field office in Hudson and the South Fork Cafe in River Falls.

The theme of the Spring Valley visit was obviously farming, as Baldwin received support from Wisconsin Farmers Unions President Darin Von Ruden.

"We need someone who will level the playing field when it comes to corporate farms versus family farms and that's Tammy Baldwin," said Von Ruden.

John Shafer said he threw his support behind Baldwin because he believes Tommy Thompson's, Baldwin's opponent on Nov. 6, farm policies have not or will not work.

"We need to have a smart farm bill because I believe the current policies aren't working," he said. "It's important to keep family farms going because too much is being geared toward the bigger farms."

Klobuchar said when it comes to Washington D.C., "you need people to get things done" and with Baldwin's history in the last 13 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, she has proven that.

Getting the Farm Bill passed, the Minnesota senator said, is the number one thing she wants to get done when she returns to Washington D.C.

"Minnesota and Wisconsin share a lot of agricultural interests and one of them is small dairy farms," she said. "The dairy industry has been hard of late and that why's the farm bill is so important."

For more please read the Oct. 17 print version of the Herald.

Tags: spring valley, news, wisconsin, agriculture, politics