Recently, a small group of Tennessee young farmers joined hundreds of Farm Bureau members from across the nation in Washington, D.C. for American Farm Bureau’s Advocacy Fly-in. As part of the conference, AFBF staff and others updated the group on issues impacting agriculture and after, the young farmers had several in-office visits with Tennessee’s congressional delegation.
“It’s been an honor for me and quite the experience this week,” said Ben Dodd, Gibson County turfgrass and cattle farmer. “I’ve been to D.C. before but have been really surprised at the receptiveness of what we’ve wanted to talk about with our current leadership and hope we’ve made some headwinds on topics important to us locally. The old saying, ‘you don’t know what you don’t know’ is true – they really don’t know what our concerns are if we don’t let them know.”
Another young farmer who joined the group in D.C. was Martin Grissom of Warren County. He and his family farm hay, cattle and nursery crops. Much like Dodd, Grissom said the fly-in was a great opportunity to share important concerns with lawmakers.
“It has been an eye-opening experience to be on Capitol Hill advocating for current issues on the federal level that are impacting us back home,” said Grissom.
Sam Craun of Monroe County also took time away from her family’s dairy farm for the fly-in. As many farmers across the country face challenges, she is hopeful members of Congress are listening.
“I’m the only dairy farmer on this trip, so I’m thankful I’ve been able to advocate for my fellow dairy farmers, even though there are not very many of us left in the state,” said Craun. “We still contribute greatly to our economy and have issues we need taken care of.”
