MADISON - Gov. Tony Evers' gave this radio address on Thursday to highlight his call for the Legislature to meet in a special session to pass legislation to support farmers and bolster economic activity in rural communities.

Hear the audio file of radio address here.

Read the text below.

Hey there, Wisconsinites. This is Governor Tony Evers.

Wisconsin is known as America's Dairyland, and for good reason.

But as too many Wisconsin families know firsthand, our farmers and rural communities across our state continue to face challenges.

During my second State of the State Address last week, I announced our three-pronged plan to invest in our farmers, agricultural industries, and rural communities.

The first prong in that plan included calling the Legislature to meet in special session to take up 8 comprehensive bills.

We also announced we're working with the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation to create the Office of Rural Prosperity and ensure investing in agriculture and rural areas is part of our economic development plan statewide.

Finally, we're going to bring together folks from different areas and industries across our state. They'll work together to develop long-term strategies on this issue—not based on what folks in Madison think is best—but based on the feedback and input from folks like you.

Now, I know what I've been proposing isn't a silver bullet, but by golly, we have to start somewhere, and we have to start today.

America's Dairyland is about more than bushels, bales, and hundredweights—it's about people.

Our state has survived on the hard work and dedication of our farmers for generations.

It's time for us to be better partners for our farmers and rural communities, and I hope the Republicans and Democrats in the Legislature will put politics aside so we can get to work on the challenges facing our state.

Thanks for listening. It's time to get to work.