Friend,
My name is Charles Benedict. I’m a first-generation farmer in Geneva Township, here in Michigan’s 4th Congressional District.
Farming may start in the field, but politics decides whether family farms can survive. Right now, too many farmers are getting squeezed by falling crop prices and rising input costs, while Republicans praise us as the “Backbone of America” ; they do very little when the numbers stop working.
I’ve watched crop prices fall while seed, fertilizer, fuel, and repair costs keep climbing. When margins disappear, it’s not a talking point — it’s whether a family farm survives another year or falls deeper into debt.
I am writing to you today because I believe there is a different path. I believe the Democratic Party is, and will continue to be, the party that is for the future farmers of America!
It’s time to move past inherited politics and start voting for what actually helps family farms survive.
For too long, MI-CD4 has been taken for granted. That’s left rural communities with fewer choices and less say when decisions are made that directly affect our livelihoods. To win CD4 in November 2026, we must offer practical solutions, not just rhetoric. The Democratic Party is already standing with us on many of the issues we need to continue to fight for:
- Right to Repair protection, so farmers can fix their own equipment instead of being locked into dealer-only service
- Fair and stable markets, so trade policy doesn’t wipe out a season’s work overnight
- Real paths for beginning farmers, so the next generation can afford to get started
- Smart Energy Policies, because we need green energy solutions that don’t cover productive cropland with solar panels, which prices young families out of the market
Winning this district won’t happen by accident. It takes organizing, resources, and the willingness to show up — not just in cities, but on country roads and in tractor cabs too. Making it happen costs money.
If you believe family farms matter and rural voices deserve to be heard, click on this link to chip in today to help flip CD4: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/mifarmers
Let’s prove rural communities aren’t written off — and that farmers still have a say in our future.
Sincerely,
Charles Benedict
Geneva Township, Michigan