MEMBER FEATURE
Connecting the Dots
Farm Credit’s Legislative Fly-In Brings Congress Greater
Understanding of Missouri Agriculture
By Joann Pipkin
More than 600 Farm Credit leaders went to Capitol Hill to meet with policymakers. Discussions centered around the need for a
strong Farm Bill and our mission to support rural communities and agriculture. Legislators were invited to a Farmer’s Market
reception where they were treated to product samples from System members around the nation. Photo courtesy of Farm Credit System.
Missouri’s rural infrastructure is bound by the
highways and bridges that connect our show-me state,
east to west and north to south.
For Ben and Jenny Bradley, Novelty, Missouri,
that infrastructure is key to marketing crops via the
Mississippi River.
From infrastructure to crop insurance and
broadband internet, issues like these weigh heavy on
farm businesses across the state — businesses like the
Bradleys and like Roth Farms outside Harrisonville,
where Danny and Hannah Kiehl farm with Hannah’s
family.
With a new Farm Bill on the horizon, the
Bradleys and Kiehls want to be sure legislators
connect the dots between the state’s farmers and
the issues that are important to their bottom line.
These two young farm couples joined more
than 600 other Farm Credit leaders from across
the U.S. who travelled to Washington, D.C., in
late July to meet with lawmakers and encourage a
timely passage of the Farm Bill.
“Our main goal was specifically to tell our
story, what our farm is like, what we do for a
living, our educational experiences and about
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