Meet Jack

My family has lived in southeast Minnesota for generations. My great-grandfather's self-published memoir about the majesty of the high grass prairie — and the damage done by the pioneer agriculture he and his neighbors practiced — led me to start working on organic farms straight out of college.

By 1994, my family and I had started Featherstone Farm on three rented acres in Winona County. Today, Featherstone is one of the Midwest's most successful organic vegetable farms: $3 million in annual sales, 250 acres under cultivation, 45 employees, and distribution from Minneapolis to Chicago. When the 2007 flood nearly wiped us out, state assistance kept the lights on — and convinced me that public policy is part of protecting our way of life here in SE Minnesota.

I've spent the years since getting involved: writing about agriculture and water policy in the New York Times, advocating for sustainable farm policy, and working alongside people who don't always share my politics. I was elected and serve on the Winona Area School Board. Many of my neighbors, constituents, and business colleagues in the farming community are Republicans. We don't agree on everything, but we've built real trust and working relationships over decades of shared work. That matters in a district like this one.

Here in rural SE Minnesota, we've watched locally owned businesses close or get swallowed by outside corporations that extract wealth rather than invest it back. That erosion — from hardware stores to assisted living facilities to schools — deserves a serious response. My campaign is about addressing that loss through innovative policy and investments in public schools, childcare, and healthcare access — and finding win-win solutions for the environment and agriculture that farmers and environmentalists can both support.

In a way, this campaign carries on the work my great-grandfather A.P. Anderson began with his memoir. Senate District 26 is an open seat for the first time in 20 years. We can win this seat this year. I'd be grateful for your support in taking this message to every corner of the district.