Bryce Oates
Bryce Oates writes The Cocklebur on Substack and is a Contributing Editor (Rural Community Organizing) at Barn Raiser. He writes about rural policy, people, places and politics. His work includes narrative nonfiction, opinion pieces and Q&A interviews. Bryce studies how the federal budget affects rural counties, farm and food policy, public lands and conservation issues, racial and gender equity in rural areas, climate change, economic inequality, rural demographic data and rural politics. A former farmer, rural economic developer and community organizer, he lives and works in Oregon’s Willamette Valley.
Latest articles
page 1 of 2Why Democrats Lost in Rural America. Again.
A message from rural America to Democratic Party elites
The 10 Rural Districts That Could Swing the House
Candidates in rural battleground congressional races are pivotal in deciding who controls the U.S. House
House Ag Committee Passes Farm Bill Draft Protecting Key Republican Priorities
After hours of contentious debate over nutrition, conservation, the definition of “cuts” and the meaning of “bipartisanship,” the Republican-led committee passed a bill that crossed several of Democrats’ “red lines”
Democrats Are Missing a Key Moment to Back Farmworkers
Despite a lack of evidence, Republicans in the House claim that high farmworker wages are causing farmers to go broke. Democrats should stand up for farmworkers and set the record straight.
The Farm Bill Has Expired and Rural America Hangs in the Balance
If Democrats were strategic, they would seize this moment
