Wilmington, Del. —   Yesterday, Lisa Blunt Rochester sat down with WMDT to speak about her comprehensive agriculture plan, shaped by insights gathered during her Delivering for Delaware statewide tour. The plan directly addresses the challenges facing the agriculture industry and the needs of rural communities, while building on the Congresswoman’s work tackling concerns like lowering grocery prices and supply chain resilience. 

Read the full coverage here or watch the segment here. 

Highlights:

• Rep. Blunt Rochester tells WMDT that the ideas for the plan came from Delawareans. She heard from them as she traveled on her Delivering For Delaware tour.
• One in four Delawareans live in rural areas. Rep. Blunt Rochester says coming up with creative solutions to tackle the challenges that many of them face is crucial.
• Rep. Blunt Rochester says supporting farmers off of the fields is equally as important. The Congresswoman’s agriculture plan urges more resources for housing, health care, lower utility costs, increasing education, and delivering the latest in technology to rural communities. 
• “Making sure that we’re paying attention to what we’ve done but also what we can do, that’s what this plan is all about,’ Rep. Blunt Rochester said. ‘As we look towards the future, and look towards the present, we’ve got to make sure that we’re using all of the tools at our disposal.’”
• All of these efforts, Rep. Blunt Rochester says, inform the way that Delaware will support its next generation of farmers. And extending that attention to the younger generations is key in that work, she says. 
• The Congresswoman points to farm-to-table programs, and innovative projects like vertical farming in First State schools, primary to higher education. Rep. Blunt Rochester is also touting her success in securing Congressional community project funding to bring the Delaware State Fair’s 4H and Future Farmers of America facility up to speed.” 
• Looking ahead, Rep. Blunt Rochester says collaborating with other lawmakers on Capitol Hill is going to be vital to pushing these efforts forward. The Congresswoman is the first person from the state of Delaware to serve on the House Agriculture Committee in 120 years. 
• Rep. Blunt Rochester says she’s seen first-hand how agriculture touches so many lives. The Congresswoman recounts an incident in line at the grocery store in which she noticed a father with three children replacing a bag of grapes that rang up at $9. “It shook me to my core, and it made me realize that I can do something,” Rep. Blunt Rochester said. “Every single one of us is impacted by agriculture in this country and in this state, and [it relates to] the focus on keeping the costs of goods down so people can afford them.” 

The agriculture plan lays out how, in the Senate, Blunt Rochester will build on her track record of bipartisan achievement and her leadership as the first Delawarean in over 120 years to serve on the House Agriculture Committee to create good-paying jobs and ensure the agricultural industry remains competitive in a changing world. 

This plan also builds on her Senate campaign’s “ambitious” plan to grow the middle class, released earlier this summer, by tackling prices at the grocery store, creating jobs, and shoring up our supply chains.