Farmers should back DeSantis

My name is Lance Lillibridge. Some of you may know me as an advocate for corn farmers in Iowa from my past Executive Role in the Iowa Corn Growers or my early involvement in the Benton Tama Nutrient Reduction Project. I have also been involved as a local 4-H leader and deacon at our church.

As a farmer, I am concerned not only about the legacy of our farm but, more so, the legacy of this country. The last 14 years have brought so many unnecessary challenges from the political arena! Not only have the past several administrations negatively affected our farm business, but also morality in our communities has deteriorated. Division is at an all-time high. Being involved in my community at different levels, I have seen firsthand how destructive this division is. It is past time for logic to be put back into government to get our nation back on track.

Gov. Ron DeSantis is the person for the job to reverse our country’s decline. His experience and results as governor of Florida has brought prosperity to the state and trust back to the government. DeSantis would give Iowa farmers a seat at the table in Washington and push back on Biden's "green" policies that cost us an arm and a leg. He would protect Iowa ethanol and biofuels, and fight for our energy independence by prioritizing homegrown options. DeSantis has already committed to supporting year-round E15 and supporting higher ethanol blends such as E30.

DeSantis has proven that he understands the issues Iowa farmers face. He’s visited with Iowans across the state and is halfway to completing his commitment to visiting all 99 counties. In a recent op-ed he wrote, “Iowa farmers exemplify the values — faith in God, belief in family, and love of country — that serve as the foundation of America and do a great job feeding the world. Yet, the federal government insists on making it more difficult to farm.” DeSantis would stand in the gap to defend Iowa farmers against massive government overreaches that we’ve seen from the Biden-Harris Administration.

Former President Donald Trump made many promises to Iowa farmers and vowed to put us first, but his administration failed to deliver. Under Trump’s leadership, trade was disrupted for commodities coming from Iowa farmers and our inputs had tariffs applied to them. Iowa farmers were forced into Market Facilitation payments in order to stay in business. Trump also approved more Small Refinery Exemptions than any other which killed ethanol demand. Just recently, Trump was not supportive of Sustainable Aviation Fuel on the Simon Conway Show. Trump stirred the pot in a few good ways, but we need a leader that will give us more than just lip service and a green hat.

DeSantis has a backbone and strength in his leadership style. DeSantis does his homework and ensures he understands the issues that need addressing. We need a leader who doesn’t tell us what we want to hear, but studies the issues and asks questions instead of obliging with the status quo. With his leadership style, track record in Florida, military background, faith, and wonderful wife Casey and their three children, it would be refreshing and reassuring to know a logical thinker is at the helm, and our nation’s healing would start on day one. I’m supporting Ron DeSantis and I hope Iowa’s farmers and producers will join me to help make him the next president of the United States.

Lance Lillibridge is a farmer from Vinton.