Column: Straight Talk with Sam

U.S. Rep. Sam Graves Republican

Dear Friend,

I was proud to join Missouri Corn Growers last week to receive their President’s Award for standing up for Missouri farmers in Congress.

As a sixth-generation farmer, I know firsthand how important our farmers are. It’s never been an easy job. It takes a special kind of person to get up in the middle of the night to pull calves or work from dawn until dusk planting, plowing or fixing fence.

But there isn’t a farmer I’ve ever met that farms because it’s easy or for the money. We do it because someone’s got to put food on the table and because we love it — and we love sharing this way of life with our families.

That said, planting season is rapidly approaching, and this year looks more difficult than most in recent memory. The price of fuel, fertilizer, seed, equipment and everything else has gone through the roof. Interest rates and land prices are still sky-high, too. A lot has changed in the last five years, yet we’re still working with the 2018 Farm Bill.

We’ve got to get that fixed, and we’ve got a lot more work to do — including passing a new highway bill, cutting spending, eliminating red tape and tax reform. Luckily, we’ve got some great leaders in Washington, D.C., and Jefferson City who are already hitting the ground running.

Earlier this month, my fellow House committee chairpersons and I had the honor of joining President Trump at Mar-a-Lago to discuss how we can all work together to implement his America-first agenda and get our country back on track.

I also had the opportunity to catch up with Governor Kehoe yesterday and talk about how crucial continued investments in our rural roads — particularly our lettered routes — are for our farmers and folks all across north Missouri.

All of this is important — whether you live on a farm or in a city — because we all depend on farmers three times a day, at breakfast, lunch and dinner. And, when our farmers do well, our food is more affordable, and America does well. That’s why I’m proud to stand with Missouri farmers and keep working to help farm families — and everyone in north Missouri — succeed.

Sincerely,

Sam Graves