Opinion: Rural America needs an economic revolution

Two hundred and fifty years ago, a small roomful of patriots declared a new nation’s yearning for “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” For most Americans in 1776, those hopes were rooted in a farm.

In fact, many of our nation’s Founding Fathers were farmers themselves. So, they understood that planting a seed of independence was just the first step toward a freer, more prosperous future. What followed next was hard work, personal sacrifice, problem-solving and dogged persistence.

For generations, those characteristics have defined the working spirit of countless Americans who’ve nourished our nation. And they’re the same values that will earn our country another quarter millennia of growth — if we rally together to support the people and places that feed us.

Truthfully, that future isn’t guaranteed. Because rural communities across the United States are facing mounting pressures that can no longer be overcome by hard work alone. To fulfill the promises made at our founding, rural America needs a new revolution — an economic one.

That’s a movement all Americans have an interest in. Because as much as ever, the food we eat and the future we share depends on the livelihoods of farmers, food workers and the rural places they call home.

Our futures may be indivisible, but in the last 250 years, the space between farms and most Americans’ plates has widened dramatically. Today, just 1% of Americans grow the food we eat and export. For the other 99%, it’s easier to feel far removed from the aspirations and challenges of farming communities.

I’m grateful to have grown up in those rural places. Because as a kid on our family dairy farm, I learned early the value of an agricultural work ethic. And later, as a young man working on the plant floor of a Cargill beef processing facility, I learned what it takes to put food on American tables.

Today, just 14% of Americans work and live in rural places. Yet, they punch far above their weight in what they contribute to our economic and national security. The average U.S. farm feeds 169 people per year. American agriculture drives $9.5 trillion in annual economic activity (one-fifth of total U.S. output). And a disproportionate number of military recruits — along with a quarter of U.S. veterans — live in rural areas.

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Despite their heroism and hard work, rural Americans face enormous challenges. Farmers are navigating volatile markets, rising input costs, labor shortages, extreme weather and tough global competition. Many rural communities have seen shrinking populations, housing shortages and fewer opportunities for the next generation. And in a painful irony, the places that feed us are too often food insecure. In fact, 90% of the hungriest U.S. counties are rural. 

These challenges aren’t confined to rural America. They affect every family that depends on safe, affordable food and every business that needs a strong, stable economy. So, our shared interest in vibrant rural communities isn’t a relic of American history; it’s essential for a prosperous American future.

For our part, Cargill sees as much promise in rural America as we did when our company got started with a single grain warehouse in rural Iowa 161 years ago. Today, we have tens of billions of dollars invested in hundreds of facilities across 39 states — most in rural areas. We proudly employ 36,000 Americans in those plants, ports and offices; people who connect farmers to markets at home and abroad and make our communities better. 

Cargill is proud to deepen that impact through philanthropic partnerships that improve people’s lives. In the last decade alone, we’ve contributed more than $450 million to strengthen U.S. food security, expand access to education, improve farmer livelihoods and more. From our 65-year partnership with FFA to our longstanding collaboration with Feeding America, we’re committed to making our communities stronger.

Cargill’s commitment to American farmers, ranchers and their communities isn’t revolutionary. It’s a deep, enduring partnership that’s always been rooted in trust — one we’re determined to strengthen for generations to come. Because their success and ours have always gone hand-in-hand — and always will.

In that same way, America's future prosperity must be rooted in strong rural communities. That's why the work we do next matters, including efforts that strengthen rural infrastructure and economic competitiveness, improve market access for farmers and ranchers, advance agricultural innovation, and support the frontline food workers who keep American families fed. Three immediate steps we can take to advance these objectives are strengthening trade with Canada and Mexico, helping ranchers expand the nation's cattle herd, and enacting the farm bill – all critical initiatives to strengthen American agriculture and food security.

By rallying around these priorities, our country can renew its unwavering commitment to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness — for rural America and every dinner table that depends on it. 

Brian Sikes is the board chair and CEO of Cargill.