Baldwin talks college debt at MOSES

Senator believes less debt
could equal more farmers

Getting more Wisconsin residents into organic farming is something that Sen. Tammy Baldwin would like to see.

At the MOSES organic farming conference at the La Crosse Center on Sunday, Baldwin spoke with young people who would like to enter the organic field.

A common problem holding some of them back, however, is college loan debt.

“But they’re emerging with a lot of debt,” Baldwin said, “and is there a way that we can help students be able to afford to study and return to farming?”

While many Americans think Washington D.C., spends too much tax money already, Baldwin says spending in the right direction could give a boost to organic farming.

“We would benefit,” Baldwin said, “in many ways as consumers of food, as well as for the industry in Wisconsin, if there were a more robust fed investment in the type of research that benefits organic farmers and those that are involved in sustainable farming practices.”

Baldwin says agricultural research being done now doesn’t necessarily include advancements in organic food production.