A Week For Farmers
As a member of the Missouri Senate, I am expected to dress the part. I put on polished shoes, a suit coat and tie every day at the State Capitol. I must confess, though, I’m much more comfortable wearing a chore coat and work boots.
This week, I got a break from the formality, at least for a little while. I had the great pleasure of putting on my old blue FFA jacket and wearing it onto the floor of the Missouri Senate in honor of National FFA Week.
As I wrote on Facebook this week, memories, lessons, friendships and challenges all came flooding back when I zipped up my jacket and walked in to the Senate chamber. The skills I learned as a member of the Rolla FFA chapter are with me even today, whether I’m working at the Capitol or at home on the farm.
I wasn’t the only one wearing blue in Jefferson City. A large contingent of FFA members from around the state were on hand to see the governor drive a biodiesel-fueled tractor onto the grounds of the Capitol. Missouri is lucky to have a governor who is so firmly rooted in the land that he keeps the FFA tradition of driving a tractor to work during National FFA Week.
Although it’s no longer exclusively an organization for farm kids, the FFA has shaped the lives of generations of rural youth ever since the Future Farmers of America held its first meeting in Kansas City in 1928. Today, nearly 670,000 youths belong to 8,630 FFA chapters throughout the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. I am proud to count myself among FFA alumni.
The FFA was not the only farm-oriented organization at the Capitol this week. The 4-H Legislative Academy was held Feb. 18-20 in Jefferson City. I was pleased to host Bethany Donnell of Davisville, a member of the Lone Star 4-H Club, who job shadowed me as I carried out my legislative duties. Her parents, Thomas and Kathleen Donnell, have every right to be proud of this outstanding young woman.
Rounding out a week of agriculture visits, Wednesday was Farm Bureau Day at the Capitol. Hundreds of members of Missouri’s largest farm advocacy organization visited the General Assembly and met with legislators on numerous issues affecting the ag industry. I was honored to join the Farm Bureau for an evening reception, as well. It was great to catch up with many old friends and discuss issues of importance to Missouri farmers.
We deal with a lot of topics at the State Capitol. It’s important to remember that agriculture remains the No. 1 industry in the state. Farming and agriculture related businesses bring $88 billion dollars to Missouri’s economy and employ more than 375,000 people.
With that in mind, I am proud to don my old blue FFA jacket and proudly declare, “I believe in the future of agriculture . . . “
It’s my honor to serve as your senator for the 16th District. If you have questions or need any assistance, please call my office at 573-751-5713 or log onto my webpage at https://www.senate.mo.gov/brown for more information.