Thin margins
Rising fuel, fertilizer, and operating costs are making it harder for farms and ranches to stay viable year after year.
Dawn Rasmussen for Congress
A New Dawn For Oregon
Agriculture
Backing the farmers and ranchers who keep rural Oregon strong
Farmers and ranchers are the backbone of Oregon’s rural economy, but too many are operating on thin margins with too little certainty. Federal policy should work for the people doing the work, with practical support for water, wildfire resilience, workforce needs, and family operations.
Why this matters
Rural producers need follow-through, not one-size-fits-all promises
Input costs are up, water is unpredictable, wildfire threats are constant, and federal programs too often fail to reflect how agriculture actually works in places like District 2. Rural communities need policies built around real conditions on the ground.
The focus
What’s missing isn’t awareness. It’s follow-through. I’m running to make federal policy work for the people doing the work and to make sure rural Oregon is no longer treated like an afterthought.
What’s not working
The pressures facing farms and ranches right now
Oregon producers are dealing with stacked risks at the same time, while too many federal systems remain slow, rigid, or out of touch.
Water uncertainty
Unpredictable water supplies and drought pressures leave producers with too little stability to plan and invest with confidence.
Mismatch from Washington
Federal programs and broad policy fixes too often miss the realities of specialty crops, smaller operations, and rural Oregon communities.
As your Representative
I will fight for agriculture policies that actually work
Strong farms and ranches help keep land in production, local economies stable, and rural communities resilient for the long term.
01
Water security that matches reality
Invest in irrigation modernization, drought resilience, and storage while working directly with local districts and producers.
02
Wildfire prevention and recovery that shows up on time
Expand fuel reduction and forest management, and fix disaster relief so support is accessible without long delays or red tape.
03
Federal programs that work for all producers
Support crop insurance and disaster programs that better reflect specialty crops, smaller operations, and diversified farms.
04
A stable agricultural workforce
Reform and modernize the H-2A program while pursuing long-term workforce solutions for operations that are not purely seasonal.
05
Lower costs and stronger local markets
Address fuel and fertilizer costs and invest in regional processing so producers can sell closer to home and keep more of what they earn.
06
Protect family operations
Enforce antitrust laws and push back on consolidation that puts independent farmers and ranchers at a disadvantage.
Keep Oregon farms operating and rural communities strong
I’m not interested in talking points or political labels. I’m focused on what keeps farms operating, land in production, and rural communities strong across District 2.