“It opens the door for me and all of us to be able to get in with these figures and voice our opinions,” said Warren County producer, Chris Harris.

If Chris Harris, a corn and soy bean farmer in Warren County, traveled to Capitol Hill on his own, it’s fair to say many of the doors he walked through on this three day trip would never have opened. But with Farm Bureau, and the F.A.R.M. Fund political action committee, it’s a different story.

“For me personally being here with Farm Bureau and to have this presence and be able to voice my opinion on things that affect me daily, weekly, yearly, that’s important to me,” said Harris.

What’s important to Harris and most Mississippi producers is the passage of a new Farm Bill. That was the number one topic of conversation with this group of Mississippi Farm Bureau members from regions four and five. From Senators Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde Smith to the House Agriculture Committee staffers to Representative Michael Guest. However, that wasn’t all they discussed.

“We’re speaking with members of Congress, voicing our concerns of rising inflation and interest rates and how difficult it is to be a farmer in our time, and how even harder it is to get into farming at a young age,” said Coley Tabb, Webster County producer. “We are pressing members of Congress on our issues and completing the farm bill in hopes that we will get some relief.”

It was encouraging to see a Mississippi Farm Bureau member, Christian Good bring testimony before the Senate subcommittee on Commodities, Risk Management, and Trade discussing “Pathways to Farming: Helping the Next Generation of Farmers.”  

“So building relationships is definitely important and also, I think, it intensifies our concerns to them,” said Tabb. “They see how important it is to us to make the trip up here and voice our concerns to them.”

From building to building, hallway to hallway, and office to office, these producers spoke to the decision makers about not just needs on their own farms, but they represented all Mississippi Farm Bureau members.

“Discussing the farm bill and, you know, the opportunity to let these representatives and senators know what it means to us,” said Harris. “What it does for us, how it affects our bottom line, the safety net it provides, and just how that legislation really makes a huge impact on our businesses.”

“We are the voice of agriculture,” said Tabb.  “It’s our job as Farm Bureau members to advocate for ourselves.”