It's time to send a farmer to Congress, Washington has plenty of politicians.

What it doesn't have enough of are people who have actually lived the realities facing the families who feed America.

I am running for Congress because I believe Florida's 9th Congressional District deserves a representative who understands agriculture not from a political briefing book, but from firsthand experience.

I was born and raised in Florida’s heartland, and agriculture has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. As a ninth generation Floridian, my family has long been involved in dairy farming and beef cattle production, and I learned early that farming is more than a job. It's a commitment. It's long days, uncertain markets, rising costs, and the constant responsibility of caring for livestock and land regardless of the weather, the economy, or what is happening in Washington.

Cows do not care if it's a holiday. They do not care if it's raining, if it's 100 degrees outside, or if you've had a rough week. The work has to get done.

That kind of life teaches you things that cannot be learned in a classroom or a committee hearing.

It teaches accountability. It teaches discipline.

It teaches you that success comes from hard work, not excuses. Most importantly, it teaches you that decisions have consequences.

Unfortunately, too many of the people making decisions in Washington have never had to live with the consequences of the policies they create.

When Congress passes regulations, farmers feel it. When fuel prices increase, farmers feel it. When inflation drives up the cost of equipment, fertilizer, feed, and transportation, farmers feel it.

When labor shortages make it harder to keep an operation running, farmers feel it. And when foreign competitors are given advantages over American producers, farmers feel it.

For decades, rural communities have watched Washington become increasingly disconnected from the people who produce our food and fuel. Agriculture is often discussed during election season, but too often it becomes an afterthought once the governing begins.

That needs to change.

Agriculture is not just another industry. It is a matter of economic security and national security. A country that cannot feed itself is a country that is vulnerable. America should never take for granted the farmers and ranchers who make our food supply possible.

As a dairy farmer and cattle producer, I understand those challenges because I've lived them.

As a member of the South Florida Water Management District Governing Board, I've also worked on many of the critical water and infrastructure issues that directly affect agriculture and our rural communities. I've seen firsthand that good policy requires balancing environmental stewardship with economic reality.

Farmers understand conservation better than most people realize. We live on the land. We depend on the land. We want to leave our farms and ranches in better shape for the next generation than we found them.

That's not a slogan. That's a way of life.

The values I learned on the farm are the same values I would bring to Congress: hard work, common sense, fiscal responsibility, and a willingness to tell the truth even when it's not politically convenient.

The people of Florida's 9th Congressional District deserve someone who understands rural Florida because he comes from rural Florida.

Someone who understands agriculture because he lives it every day.

Someone who understands the challenges facing working families because he has faced them himself.

Washington does not need another career politician. It needs more people who have spent their lives creating jobs, producing food, managing risk, and solving real problems.

It's time to send a farmer to Congress.

Ben Butler, a Republican candidate for Congress in the 9th District, is a lifelong, ninth-generation Florida dairy farmer, agricultural leader, businessman, and public servant.