There are plenty of people in Washington who have opinions about rural America.

Far fewer have actually lived it.

I wake up every morning before the sun comes up because that’s what farming demands. Cows don’t care about political talking points. Crops don’t wait for committee hearings. The weather doesn’t care about election years.

Life in places like Okeechobee and Glades County teaches you something that’s easy to forget inside the Beltway: results matter more than rhetoric.

That’s one of the biggest reasons I decided to run for Congress.

For too long, the people producing America’s food have been represented by career politicians who know agriculture from reports instead of experience. They make decisions that affect our farms, our ranches, our water, and our communities without ever having lived with the consequences.

Rural Florida deserves better.

Our communities aren’t asking for special treatment. We’re asking for common sense.

We need infrastructure that helps farmers move products to market. We need a regulatory environment that protects our natural resources without making it impossible for family farms to survive. We need reliable water policies based on science and stewardship, not politics. We need leaders who understand that food security is national security.

Most importantly, we need someone who understands that agriculture isn’t just another industry.

It’s the foundation of communities like Okeechobee and Glades.

Every local business, every school, every church, every youth livestock show, every county fair, and countless family livelihoods are connected in some way to the success of agriculture. When our farmers succeed, our communities succeed.

I’ve spent my life raising cattle and dairy cows here in Florida. I’ve also had the opportunity to serve on a regional water management board, where I learned firsthand that conservation and agriculture aren’t opposing forces, but rather they work best when they work together.

The people who live closest to the land are often the ones most committed to protecting it for future generations.

Washington could use a little more of that perspective.

Too often, the loudest voices come from people who’ve never had dirt under their fingernails or worried about making payroll after a difficult season. They see agriculture as a political issue.

I see neighbors.

I see families who work harder than almost anyone in America.

I see young people who want to stay in rural Florida but wonder if they’ll be able to afford to.

And I see communities that deserve someone willing to fight for them every single day.

Okeechobee, Glades, and rural Florida have always punched above their weight. We’ve fed this country, strengthened our economy, and preserved a way of life that’s worth protecting.

It’s time Congress had more people who understand that firsthand.

Because if rural Florida doesn’t have a voice in Washington, America risks losing something far bigger than farms.

We risk losing the values that built this country.

Ben Butler is a ninth-generation Floridian, dairy farmer, beef cattle rancher, and Republican candidate for Congress in Florida’s 9th Congressional District