Letter: Walden works hard for agriculture

Published 10:00 am Tuesday, December 17, 2019

To the Editor:

As someone who owns and operates a cattle ranch, I take pride in saying Congressman Walden is working harder than anyone in D.C. to cut through the red tape that we farmers and ranchers live with every day.

Greg has supported the Trump Administration as they work hard to renegotiate trade deals and expand access for our farmers and ranchers to foreign markets — like the newly negotiated USMCA and the U.S. trade deal with Japan — a great win for Oregon agriculture!

In Congress, Greg has passed legislation that would improve forest management and decrease the risk of wildfire by utilizing tools like grazing and thinning to reduce fuel loads on public lands. Greg has fought hard to ensure farmers and ranchers can continue to rely on the protections provided in the Farm Bill. He has worked tirelessly to advance legislation time and again that would federally delist the gray wolf and give the states the ability to better manage wolf populations.

I’ve watched Greg as he has spoken with leaders in the agriculture industries from Eastern Oregon throughout his career in Congress. His passion for the industries is clear in those meetings, and he has always carried the message he receives in those discussions back to D.C. I have had the pleasure of working with him in Oregon and in Washington, D.C. The farmers and ranchers of Oregon are going to miss having Congressman Walden around. Thankfully we still have one more year!

Matt McElligott

North Powder