Heartland Mayors Issue Proclamation for U.S. Heartland Global Leadership Day

Joe Ricker, a U.S. Army veteran and member of USGLC’s Farmers for Prosperity and Veterans for Smart Power networks, founded At Ease Orchard in 2018, a community for veterans to gather, learn agricultural skills, and engage in therapeutic hands-on activities.

USGLC visited the Orchard in Indiana, writing, “The most meaningful part of the visit, however, was talking with Joe and other veterans and hearing their stories…After 30 years in uniform, Joe knows firsthand the strength of the U.S. military and what our servicemembers can accomplish. But he also understands that military strength alone isn’t enough. America’s hard power is often made more effective by the relationships our diplomats and aid workers build around the world. And more than that, strategic investments in diplomacy and international assistance can even prevent the need to deploy military force in the first place.”

During a Senate floor speech in May, Senator Jerry Moran emphasized Kansas’s legacy of global agricultural leadership: “A call to feed the world has been answered by many Kansans, and farmers, and ranchers.” This observation reflects a broader strategic reality: since the 1950s, Kansas has played an integral role in the United States’ efforts to provide life-saving food to communities around the world…

The world faces a daunting challenge: feeding a population projected to reach 9.6 billion by 2050. Meeting this demand will require a 60% increase in agricultural production, a feat complicated by climate change, resource scarcity, and geopolitical instability…