Long before they were squaring off for the highest office in Lincoln, both 2026 Nebraska gubernatorial candidates learned life’s hardest lessons on the hog farm. Although Republican incumbent Gov. Jim Pillen and Democratic challenger and former state senator Lynne Walz both trace their work ethic back to the grit of Nebraska pork production, their roadmaps for the state’s agricultural future could hardly look more different.
Pillen: A Why Rooted in Gratitude and Giving Back
Raised on a modest, rented farm where “if a little bit of work was good, more was better,” he credits faith, family and humility for carrying him from pulling pigs at 5 years old to playing Husker football, earning a doctorate in veterinary medicine, and building a thriving swine business employing over 1,200 people. His children, Brock Pillen and Sarah Pillen, now run DNA Swine Genetics and Pillen Family Farms. Having lived the American dream firsthand, he says his motivation isn’t politics, but public service: stepping up as a business leader to defend the state’s agricultural backbone and repay a debt to the Nebraska that gave his family everything.
Walz: A Why Rooted in Service, Family and Accountability
Walz is also no stranger to hard work —from sorting seed corn on night shifts to teaching elementary school—she grounds her campaign in a simple principle: “love God, love your family and love your neighbor, period.” Drawing on eight years of bipartisan work in the Legislature on roads, broadband and emergency services, Walz says she is running to restore trust and ensure state government works for the working families, farmers and ranchers who keep Nebraska running.
Below, both candidates share their unvarnished views on trade, taxes, water and who is truly prepared to fight for Nebraska’s growers and ranchers.
The Pitch to Agriculture
What is your primary message to farmers, growers and ranchers, and why should they trust you to serve them?
Pillen: I’m the first governor of Nebraska in 100 years who is from agriculture. Our Ogallala Aquifer is the largest, most sustainable underground aquifer in the Western Hemisphere. We have 23 natural resource districts. From my view of the world, water has transformed agriculture in Nebraska. We’ve had these natural resource districts for 60 years and I’m the only governor who has ever met with them.
I understand agriculture. It’s tip of the spear for Nebraska’s economy. I’ve fought against animal liberation experts like PETA since the early ‘90s. I know how to defend agriculture. I know how to help grow agriculture and I love selling agriculture. I’ve got more experience than any candidate on the ballot. This commitment started six years ago. I’m at halftime. We’ve learned a lot, but we’ll be a lot more productive in the second half.
Walz: Our farmers and ranchers lost markets they spent decades building in a reckless trade war. While they watched their margins disappear, Jim Pillen was busy defending the trade war and making sure his own operation kept growing. Meanwhile, input costs keep climbing and property taxes keep going up. I know what Nebraska farmers are up against because I’ve lived it. I grew up on a farm, and I’ve had to stretch every dollar. I’ll fight for trade that opens markets, deliver property tax relief that goes to Nebraska farmers instead of out-of-state corporations, and give them a seat at the table from day one. I’ve never cared what party someone belongs to. I care about getting things done for the people who feed the world.
Top Policy Priorities
What are your top three key agricultural policy positions?
Pillen: One is growing the livestock industry. We’ve grown 300,000 spaces in Nebraska in the last two years, and we will continue to grow because you need water. We are focused on water quantity and quality, so that we use less water to raise more. We have a tremendous opportunity to grow dairy within the state of Nebraska as well. Secondly, we were the only state that didn’t play politics when it came to carbon capture. We’re the only state that has CO2 capture, which means we have the highest value ethanol. Our ethanol industry is growing, and that is a key to creating more value for Nebraska farmers and for the distiller byproducts for livestock. Third, we must sell our product – having the ability to understand the market, go into foreign markets, and help producers and businesses sell their product. I believe some people have tried to change the definition of agriculture. Agriculture is food that comes from the land – from germination and conception – not other places. We’re one of the few states that have said “no fake meat in our state.” I said, “We’re not doing that in Nebraska as long as I’m governor.” If you want to buy it, you can buy it and have it dropped on your doorstep and pay a tax on it. But, we are not going to have it in grocery stores. We’re Nebraska. We’re agriculture. We’re going to defend it with everything we’ve got.
Walz: When I am elected Governor, I’ll give farmers and ranchers a seat at the table from day one. I’ll sign a proclamation declaring Nebraska agriculture and livestock friendly and stand up an agricultural advisory council, so producers help shape decisions before they’re made. I will also deliver property tax relief that actually reaches farmers and ranchers. I’ll cap how fast valuations can rise, fix the school aid formula so the state pays its share, and target relief to Nebraska producers, not out-of-state corporations buying up farmland. Jim Pillen has floated raising taxes on food, water, medicine and ag inputs. That isn’t tax relief – it’s moving the pain from one Nebraskan to another. While Jim Pillen defends a reckless trade war, our farmers and ranchers are struggling to find buyers for what they raise. I will push aggressively to reopen the markets Nebraska farmers spent decades building and find new ones. I will work alongside producers and ag trade groups to ensure Nebraska farmers can improve their bottom line.
The National Vision
What are two things you’d like to see change for American agriculture?
Pillen: I would like the vision for Nebraska agriculture to be the vision for America. First, we need to get out of the commodity business. Selling commodities to other countries, in my humble opinion, is like giving half the topsoil away. We need to be invested in feeding the world, but processing everything as close to home because that creates way more value. That’s our goal for Nebraska. We’re not going to export corn and soybeans. We process all the soybeans in Nebraska today. Second, I believe it’s important that we get treated on the global market with respect and fairness. I’m a believer in free, fair, balanced trade. Food security is such an important issue. I would like to make sure that we’re not at the expense of some of these policies that go on around the world.
Walz: American agriculture needs trade policy farmers can count on. Our producers spent decades building markets overseas, and the trade war shut them out. When that happened, our governor had a chance to stand up for Nebraska farmers, and he didn’t. While farmers lost their markets, Jim Pillen made sure his own operation kept growing. I’ll advocate for common sense trade and tariff policies that open markets and lower costs, and I’ll make sure farmers keep more of what they earn with real property tax relief here at home. We also need to grow our bioeconomy. Ethanol and other homegrown fuels and products create more markets for what farmers raise, bring good jobs to rural communities, and make America more energy independent. That takes investment in research, and Jim Pillen has cut agricultural programs at the University of Nebraska. I’ll restore that investment. Nebraska already feeds the world. There’s no reason we shouldn’t help fuel it too, and I want Nebraska leading the way.
Personal Connections to Farming
What is your favorite connection to or story about agriculture and farming?
Pillen: I enjoy being able to communicate with people about what we do in the livestock industry. When people try to debate how we care for our livestock, I like to remind them that any bad actor is not a bad actor for very long because they go broke. What I love about the livestock industry is that it’s an extraordinarily challenging business, and the only people left are really, really good people.
Walz: I grew up on my family’s small farm outside Fremont. Nothing on it was mechanized. My siblings and I hauled buckets of water and feed, cleaned pens, put up fence, and took care of the sows and their litters. Early mornings were just part of life. For a few years, my dad also tried his hand at an onion business. We planted and harvested 100,000 onions, all by hand. It didn’t last, but I’ve never forgotten it. It taught me that farming takes grit, that you don’t always control the outcome, and that you show up and do the work anyway. My family still owns that farm today, and those lessons still guide me.
Working Across Party Lines
How will you champion the ag producers in your constituency when faced with bipartisan hurdles?
Pillen: I treat it like the way we do business. Nobody will ever see me going on Facebook and ranting at somebody that has been criticizing me. If I disagree with somebody, you’re never going to hear it. This business is unbelievable how some people, when they get elected, suddenly think they’re supposed to yell and scream at people. If I disagree with you, I call you up. If I hear you’re disagreeing with me and we have to work together, I call you up and say, “Can we talk about this?” I’m a believer that we sit down and talk about things. My job is to influence you to the way I see it, so we can get things done.
Walz: In the Legislature, I worked with a Republican colleague on a property tax bill that would have cut taxes by $760 million. We brought farmers and ranchers, business leaders, and school administrators to the table, and we traveled the state that summer to listen and improve the plan. Ultimately, it fell short because of partisanship. That’s the kind of politics I’m running against. Jim Pillen has tried to control the Legislature and override voters. As governor, I don’t care who brings the bill. If it’s responsible and helps our producers, we’ll get it done. I’ll get to know senators from all 49 districts, just like I did in the Legislature. I’ll work with any president who wants to help Nebraska, and I’ll tell any president no when something hurts our farmers and ranchers.
