State Representatives Todd Novak of Dodgeville and Travis Tranel of Cuba City were recently among a distinct group of bi-partisan legislators from throughout the U.S. and Canada to participate in the Legislative Agriculture Chairs Summit. The Summit took place in Kansas City and was hosted by State Agricultural and Rural Leaders.

“This conference was a great opportunity for me to hear about some of the challenges other rural states are facing. It turns out that regardless of which state you are from, many of our issues are the same. Learning how other states have addressed some of these issues was beneficial and has given me some good ideas moving forward,” said Novak.

Both Republican law-makers took part in sessions about rural infrastructure, affordable housing and its impact on rural communities, the opportunities and challenges facing rural schools, as well as sessions dealing with the rural agricultural economy – including challenges within the dairy industry.

“It was nice to hear about the resiliency of rural America. We have a fantastic story to share and great opportunities ahead of us, but we need to start doing a better job of making sure all parts of Wisconsin know what rural Wisconsin is about. All parts of our state need to understand our values, our work ethic, and our productivity. This way they’ll see the value and the subsequent payoffs of continuing to invest in a strong rural Wisconsin,” said Tranel.

The group was also addressed by a number of experts, including Chief Economist Peter Hall.