Each year, Congress recesses for the month of August. Congressional members and staff spend this important time visiting with constituents, hosting town hall meetings, touring new factories and projects, and discussing issues with various interest groups while in the district and state.

The month of August is also a very busy time for most farmers. Corn is being harvesting, hay is being cut and baled, and many poultry growers are busy shipping birds. As a grassroots policy organization with members in every county in the state and all four Mississippi Congressional Districts, the month of August presents Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation with an opportunity to get our members to be involved in the political process. It’s truly a prime time for local grassroots advocacy for our farm organization. It gives us a chance to visit with our congressional members and staff on our farms and ranches to see firsthand many of the issues confronting agriculture.

This August has been no different. Farm Bureau members and staff have been busy hosting tours on farms and visiting with members of Congress and their staffs on key issues.

On August 15, MFBF hosted U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville from Alabama in Tunica for a discussion on issues surrounding the 2023 Farm Bill with Mississippi agricultural associations and commodity groups. Following the farm bill roundtable event, Tuberville toured several farms to discuss these issues with local farmers.

On August 21, MFBF hosted U.S. Senator John Boozman, ranking member of the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee, from Arkansas and U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith and U.S. Senator Roger Wicker from Mississippi at MFBF headquarters for a farm bill and agriculture policy listening session. The roundtable allowed Mississippi agriculture industry leaders to share their priorities for the upcoming farm bill.

On August 28, MFBF hosted U.S. Congressman Rick Crawford from Arkansas and U.S. Congressman Trent Kelly from Mississippi in Calhoun County for a producer roundtable on H-2A issues. Crawford currently serves as the chair of the U.S. House Agriculture Committee Ag Labor Work Group, a group formed to provide a set of recommendations for adjustments to the H-2A program.

These visits have allowed our members and agricultural groups to discuss issues with policy makers on their farms and build relationships that will last for years. The month of August is a busy time for farming, but it’s also a very busy time for grassroots advocacy.

Justin Ferguson is the Federal Affairs Coordinator at the Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation.