By Kelsey Walters @KelseyWaltersS

As Americans, we are all familiar with the phrase “freedom is not free,” but having freedom requires civilian upkeep in addition to the sacrifices made by our soldiers. As farmers, we are further removed from the center of government and must work even harder to maintain freedom, representation and political voice.

Raised on a five-generation farm in Oklahoma, I am proud of our registered Hereford cattle, reclaimed prairie grass pastures, and my family’s deep legacy of civic engagement in our small community. Attending a rural public school, we took field trips to the Oklahoma state capital to meet with our elected officials and get a sense of how our interests were represented in our system of government. I always felt that I had access to my political system.

When I first arrived in Eastern Europe as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer, one of the many striking differences between life in the Republic of Moldova and life in Oklahoma, in addition to the plumbing exterior versus interior plumbing, was the low culture of democratic participation and demand for representation.

Just as crucial as the maintenance of farm equipment, it is crucial to maintain the voice of farmers in government.

As a Peace Corps volunteer, we struggled to find leaders who could muster the optimism needed to “seek a solution”. The mentality inherited from the Soviet Union that “the government is responsible” was deeply rooted in the population.

Fast forward to the end of the Peace Corps, and I had met Yuri. In a whirlwind of visa applications, business registrations and marriage licenses, we were married and proud owners of a dilapidated and debt-ridden Soviet collective farm in Moldova, on the border with Ukraine. Coming from a family that kept a grease gun in every vehicle for preventative maintenance, I was shocked to see the poor condition of equipment and facilities that had been vandalized for scrap with no thought to maintenance.

The amount of investment required in equipment, operations and above all personal initiative was at times overwhelming.

In 2022, many other Moldovan farmers carry grease guns and feel primarily responsible for their operations, but remain silent when it comes to maintaining and strengthening their voice in government.

Due to their reluctance to put their needs on paper and to advocate with other farmers, there is very little analysis and public awareness, which means that hardly any officials are reminded that farmers are at the basis of the Moldovan economy. Without farmer groups that effectively advocate for important regulatory reforms and necessary tax incentives, Moldova’s agricultural sector is less competitive than neighboring Romania and Ukraine.

After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Moldovan government imposed very damaging regulations prohibiting Moldovan farmers from exporting wheat. Without a spokesperson for grain producers, the government had no opposition, made no attempt to consult with farmers, and provided no rationale for its decision.

As a US citizen, it is hard to accept that crops grown on Moldovan family farms are treated as “state property” with little respect for their private investments and future loan repayments.

Returning to Oklahoma with my daughters in March, I was blessed to witness the gentle yet genuine strength of the American Farm Bureau as it stands up and fights for American farm families. I was overwhelmed by the influx of support for Ukrainian farmers and how more people than ever could locate Moldova on a map. Having experienced different government approaches, I am compelled to share how crucial it is for farmers to have a strong voice and diligent representation in government.

Kelsey Walters is an agricultural and spatial data analyst from Oklahoma and a farmer in Moldova. Kelsey and her husband Yuri farm 6,000 acres of cultivated land in Moldova along the Ukrainian border. They produce wheat, corn, barley and sunflower seeds and employ 35 workers on the farm. Follow Kelsey on Facebook Where Twitter for more!