Can I explain something, John?

I grew up in a twenty-four-by-thirty-six foot house. I lost three fingers on my left hand in a meat grinding accident when I was a kid. I am and always will be a farmer, like my folks and like my grandparents.

In fact, I’m very proud to be the only U.S. Senator who manages a full-time job outside the Senate — as a farmer.

Every spring, I spend a lot of weeks working the stubble, getting equipment ready for planting, and out in the field seeding. Come summer, I am out there harvesting. I maintain my own heavy equipment and deliver my grain in a truck that’s a bit bigger than what any of my colleagues drive.

I buy grease by the case and seeds by the ton. I butcher my own beef. My wife, Sharla, and I work the farm hand-in-hand.

The task of scheduling my work in the Senate around the inflexible timing of farm responsibilities drives my staff crazy — but they know my farm work is non-negotiable. It keeps me, quite literally, grounded.

And rather than spend my days hobnobbing with Republican special interests, I rely on hard-working folks like you to power everything we do.

That’s why I’m personally asking you to join my reelection team and split $10 between Hillary Scholten and my campaign today to help us block Mitch McConnell from taking back the Senate. Anything you can give makes a difference.

Thank you so much for sticking by me. I promise to spend every ounce of time fighting for you and your families (when I’m not out in the field, of course).

— Jon