The little town was already hollowing decades ago. If it is possible to have a shadow of a shadow, that is what I saw in Salem the day I took the photo.

In talking to relatives, they lament how their nephews lack motivation to better their lives. One managed to create his own HVAC company, and buy, fix up and resell homes. They started homesteading too before drifting back into substance abuse.

Neighbors still help neighbors. Migrants work industriously for those who can afford to hire them. I am told there have been some improvements in the schools.

But the impression I get from speaking with people who live there is that many decades of neglect, poor education, lack of investment in infrastructure, or medical care, stripping away of incentives by big industries that suppress wages has left the current generation assuming “this is just life.”

Without intentional organizing of power, by and for the people communities like Salem will continue to be divided, manipulated and consumed by corporate interests.

There are groups in West Virginia advocating for people and the environment. Appalachian Voices is one of them.

But I don’t see efforts in Salem proper to build local power. People are doing the best they can with what they have to work with. It is a lesson in what happens when you let corporations have all the power.

In Western Wisconsin, there are many individuals and organizations that are courageously building community.

Some have the means to leave the country but choose not to. Some have little to give but their own voice. Yet all understand that their wellbeing, our collective sanity, our ability to survive depends upon recognizing our shared humanity.

I want to highlight those organizations and individuals that I am acquainted with. To show in “Why It Matters” that these people and organizations matter.

To start:

Wisconsin Farmers Union – WFU was established in 1930, but farming had already been in a depression since 1920. Following World War I, demand for food had surged, and at the urging of the federal government farmers had doubled their mortgage debt to expand production and meet the need. Europe’s ability to provide for their communities rebounded and the drop in demand for food meant the cost of producing food was greater than the income it provided the farmer. Rampant foreclosures reduced the value of land that provided the equity for farm loans. Banks were struggling, adding to the economic instability that foreshadowed the stock market collapse.

The land struggled too. The need for soil conservation was not understood. Heavy storms washed topsoil away.

In response, National Farmers Union organizers worked throughout Wisconsin in the late 1920s, particularly in the northwest, establishing local and county Farmers Union organizations. By the first state convention in Menomonie in November 1930, 285 delegates from 20 counties were in attendance. That grassroots tradition continues today, as Wisconsin Farmers Union members meet annually to determine the organization's policy and priorities for the following year. At the heart of that work is a commitment to building an equitable food system rooted in cooperative communities, grassroots power, and environmental stewardship. Wisconsin Farmers Union works to promote a better quality of life for family farmers, rural communities and all people.

Source: Land Rich Cash Poor by Brian Reisinger and Wisconsin Farmers Union History & Mission | Wi Farmers Union  and Tommy Enright Communications Director WFU

Working through county chapters across Wisconsin, WFU staff and members lead a wide range of programs and initiatives including:

• Small Farm Sustainability Stipend, a quarterly, flexible grant for small and historically underserved farms, a source of funds to improve their business and farm sustainability. (For one success story, take a look at this from WFU website blog: SFSS Spotlight: Tamarack Spring Farm

• Market on River, WFU's headquarters in Chippewa Falls, featuring a food hall and local vendors and serving as a hub for community, agriculture and local enterprises

• A Madison legislative office, where staff advocate for family farmers and rural communities and elevate their voices at the State Capitol

• Kamp Kenwood, a youth summer camp focused on cooperative development, leadership and civic engagement

• The St. Croix Valley Food Alliance, which works to strengthen local food systems in the St. Croix Valley

• Support and coordination for producer-led watershed councils in northwestern Wisconsin, helping farmers of all sizes implement practices that improve water quality

• Renewable energy and community empowerment programming aimed at ensuring rural communities have a voice in, and benefit from, the transition to clean energy

• Dairy Together, a coalition of dairy organizations working to strengthen farmers' voices and create a more sustainable future for family dairy farms in an increasingly consolidated marketplace

• And much more, including member committees focused on water, climate change, grain, dairy and energy, along with local chapter events, education and advocacy.

To learn more about WFU, visit wisconsinfarmersunion.com or sign up for membership today to receive their bimonthly newsletter and get connected to your local chapter to meet likeminded members who care about systemic impacts at the local level. Anyone who eats can be a member of WFU. 

Grass Roots Organizing for Western Wisconsin GROWW – In 2019, seven neighbors gathered around a kitchen table on a farm in Pierce County. Their conversation about what was missing in the community led to a commitment to action. Today there are hundreds of members spanning seven Western Wisconsin counties “united to counter Corporate Power with People Power by organizing right here and taking action on the issues impacting us most.”

(Full disclosure: I am a member of the Wisconsin Farmers Union and a longtime member of GROWW)

Source: https://gro-ww.org/about-groww/

Two important lessons have been learned since this group got together:

·       None of the problems we face today emerged by accident. The problems we face are because some of the biggest corporations and wealthiest interests have spent decades organizing to shape the rules here in Wisconsin and across the country.

·       If organized corporate power helped create these problems, organized people can solve them.

GROWW has managed to empower individuals and groups resulting in wins for communities across Western Wisconsin.

 In Menomonie, the City Council passed a new ordinance to protect renters called SHIELD. (Safe Housing Inspections Enforcement and Landlord Development)

“This GROWW SHIELD ordinance breathed life into the Housing Committee,” Menomonie Mayor Matthew Crowe said. “This is a unique ordinance that we’ve never seen before. It doesn’t focus on just code—it focuses on habitability violations. Making sure we have running water, heat. Making sure our tenants aren’t exposed to mold or mildew or lead or asbestos and any other health hazards.”

The group is not done. “Right now, Wisconsin law still prevents communities from fully protecting renters by limiting proactive inspections beyond designated areas,” Menomonie City Council President and GROWW member Cody Gentz said. “GROWW is pushing to repeal Act 317 so towns and cities across Wisconsin regain the authority to protect tenants wherever they live. This local win in Menomonie is a down payment on that larger fight.”

GROWW took a 6,500-cow factory to court and won. Last year, GROWW filed a challenge against Ridge Breeze's expansion in Pierce County over their lack of groundwater monitoring. “Our clients are challenging the permit because it does not adequately protect local surface water and groundwater from being contaminated by the enormous amounts of manure that Ridge Breeze would produce,” said Midwest Environmental Advocates Staff Attorney Adam Voskuil.

On August 24, Administrative Law Judge Angela Chaput Foy ruled in favor of GROWW members and Pierce County residents in the case against Ridge Breeze.

“The judge found that when the DNR issued the permit to Ridge Breeze, it gave no meaningful way to determine whether the factory farm was actually following groundwater standards or whether its operations were polluting the water Pierce County families rely on.” 

Source: prod.cdn.everyaction.com/emails/van/EA/EA007/1/90152/VnsmESIExAWh4W0dNyPX69sSB3xXgC_1_aX3541zWUJ_archive?emci=7017c0dc-79a1-f111-9b33-0022482a9f1d&emdi=8d0a5956-6aa2-f111-9b33-0022482a9bea&ceid=26879037

Expanding Badger Care - Volunteer canvassers are knocking on doors across our region and having conversations about healthcare. These are real conversations: often 20-30 minutes long, grounded in people’s lives, pains, and hopes. Out of those conversations, people realize that collectively we have the power to shift politics away from corporate-centric policies to health care policies that benefit all people. Supporting candidates that are in favor of expanding healthcare is making Badger Care public option within reach in 2027.

GROWW is now organizing around hyperscale data centers. We're working in coalition with people all across the state to demand full transparency, accountability, and protections from data centers. GROWW is calling on legislators to remove tax breaks for big tech that have resulted in an estimated $2 billion in tax cuts for the biggest corporations in the world.

For more information about the new data center campaign or any other ongoing effort, go to Contact Us - GROWW

There are many other organizations out there working in tandem and often collaborating with each other on common goals. Many of our local churches have been instrumental in getting school supplies to children, food to hungry families, car seats so children can ride safely in their parents’ cars. I am only scratching the surface.

Here is a short list for readers to check out. Be curious, and don’t miss my closing thought below.

NAMI Wisconsin - Support for Mental Health

Wisconsin Conservation Voters

Grow To Share - home

Land Stewardship Project - Promoting Sustainable Agriculture

Hope for Earth I River Falls

About — Monarca

Western Wisconsin Conservation Council – cherishing Western Wisconsin’s watersheds and ways of life

Closing thought: Every one of the volunteers in these organizations is active because they have a personal stake in outcomes. They understand why the work they do matters to themselves personally, to the people they love and to their communities at large.

I am one of those volunteers, with a drive forged from the fears and poverty experienced on Water Street in Salem, West Virginia so many years ago.  What I am learning is that staying in my comfort zone and working on the margins is not enough to make lasting change. What is also needed is a clear understanding of the cost of failure. A cost so high as to be willing to let go of what holds a person back in their own development.

For me personally, that is letting go of the need to control. For others it might be the fear of public speaking or being perceived as wrong. Now I am being asked to serve as a guide and allow others to take responsibility for outcomes. To let go and trust.

My son and I didn’t get out of poverty alone. The idea that an individual can go it alone and thrive is a myth. There were relatives, friends and a social safety net.

A safety net that is unraveling.

That’s why today more than ever that you, dear reader, matter. What is your comfort zone? What is possible when you are willing to step out just a little and make a commitment to yourself and your community? How many other lives will be touched by you in a positive way?

You can start by taking care of yourselves, talking to your neighbors and connecting with organized groups so that collectively we can all have a bright future.

Thank you for being you.