By invitation from Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith, Noxubee County farmer and Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation member Christian Good provided testimony to the Commodities, Risk Management, and Trade Subcommittee of which Senator Hyde-Smith is ranking member. Speaking before a United States Senate subcommittee can be nerve racking especially with so much at stake for farmers all across the nation in 2024.
“We were able to communicate real world issues going on our real world farm, and I think that’s so important for people outside of D.C. to get a basic understanding of the issues that we’re facing and how the farm bill is absolutely necessary and can help us overcome some of those issues,” said Good.
Right now, the farm bill is under heavy debate as Senate and House members decide which programs receive federal dollars. On his family’s farm, Good tells Senators a strong Farm Bill means a hopeful future.
“We’re talking about, you know, emergency programs that could help in times of disaster,” said Good. “We’re talking about safety nets and just an array of topics that really protect the young farmer who’s going and putting in an investment in a crop at the least, or equipment and land purchases, and we’re allowing there to be a vehicle to protect what they’ve done and their lifestyle.”
Senator Hyde- Smith says it is important Mississippi farmers and in particularly, young Mississippi farmers like Good rise to the challenge when it comes to telling their farm story.
“You hear a viewpoint of reality that they do it every day, and it’s nothing more refreshing than to sit down and hear an excited young farmer tell us what they think the policy should be or how it affects them now, and what the changes need to be, to hear it directly from someone that’s doing it,” said Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith.
That’s where a membership in Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation really pays off. National Affairs Coordinator Justin Ferguson works with Capitol Hill staffers to keep them up to date on needs back on the farm in Mississippi. Then Ferguson brings members like Good to Washington D.C. to give their firsthand account as to what may or may not be working from a national policy viewpoint.
“There’s all sorts of people in this town that talk about their various issues, but the most important aspect of bringing someone here is to provide a member of Congress the opportunity to hear directly from the farmer, what’s happening on their farm,” said Ferguson.
Not often will a Noxubee County farmer get the opportunity to address U.S. Senators concerning what he and his family are facing on the farm. For Good, he’s worried about two issues just like many other Mississippi farmers… health insurance and his farm’s legacy.
“With the high cost of farming these days, farmers, and young farmers especially, should be able to use any of the programs that are available to them to make sure that they have that viable safety net if they were to have a bad crop or a bad year so that they can continue to build something for their family and be able to pass it along,” said Ferguson.
“We are trying to get so many young people and people that maybe want to switch careers into agriculture, into farming, and this gives them an opportunity to see the things that are available,” said Senator Hyde-Smith. “We certainly want to be so conscious as lawmakers to make sure we don’t do anything that prohibits someone wanting to get into production.”