It’s the summer before an election, and your representatives from Washington are back in the district looking for something: your vote in November. They are holding town halls, meeting with constituents and talking to local media. And they are listening to what you have to say.

We encourage you to watch your local paper, your mailbox and listen to local radio. When your senator or representative is in the area, get out and talk to them about the future of rural America, energy, health care, small business and family farming.

While there are a lot of issues important to rural America, here are three key messages you can deliver at town halls this summer and fall.

Renewable Energy: The U.S. House passed a comprehensive energy and climate bill last year, but the Senate has yet to take action. Small communities across the country stand to benefit from thousands of new jobs in the renewable energy sector if Congress sends strong legislation to the president this year.

One key issue is boosting the percentage of our electricity that comes from wind and other renewable sources. A Renewable Electricity Standard requiring that 25 percent of the electricity produced in this country come from renewable sources would spur new wind development and create lasting economic benefit for our communities. In Nebraska, for example, our analysis found that such policy would create more than 25,000 temporary jobs in construction and over 3,500 permanent jobs in maintenance and operation. Moreover, our polling in the state showed nearly 80 percent support for such policy.

2012 Farm Bill: With field hearings for the 2012 farm bill underway, it’s not too early to talk to your senators and representatives about what you think is important in the next farm bill. The 2012 farm bill is an opportunity to strengthen investment in our small towns through business and community development while reforming farm programs to put family farm agriculture ahead of the interests of the big farm interests.

We will be paying special attention to increasing investment in rural communities, strengthening farm and conservation programs that work for family farms and support sustainable agriculture, programs to foster new market development, and policy reform to ensure farmers access to fair and competitive markets from the inputs they buy to the products they sell.

Health Reform and Rural America: Health reform has been signed into law, but it is important to continue to talk to your federal elected officials about the health care challenges you face. There is much work to be done to implement the legislation in Washington, and future changes will be needed to strengthen and modify aspects of the legislation. (Read Health Care Reform Moves to your State to learn how you can work to ensure health care reform is implemented well in your state.)

The future of rural America will be determined by the action you and I take. By getting out and talking to your elected officials this summer, you can take responsibility for the direction of public policy and help shape our future. If you can’t make it to a meeting, write a letter or stop by the local office of your representative or senator instead.

For more information or to comment, contact Brian Depew, briand@cfra.org, 402.687.2103 x 1015.