U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson will meet with agricultural producers from Aug. 16-21 on her annual farm tour visits in Missouri’s Eighth Congressional District.
Included in Emerson’s itinerary are stops at two Texas County locations. She plans to be at Rootin’ Tootin’ Alpacas on Highway B east of Houston from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Aug. 16, and at the Piney River Brewing Co. facility in Bucyrus from 9 to 10 a.m. Friday.
Emerson will also visit two other nearby locations on Aug 17: the Missouri State University fruit station in Mountain Grove (11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.), and the Frost Sawmill in Winona (2 to 3 p.m.)
“This year is pivotal for producers in southern Missouri,” Emerson said. “We need a new farm bill that provides a safety net and protects the safest, most abundant and most affordable food supply in the world. We need to shore up disaster assistance programs to save family farms and ranches after the worst drought in memory for nearly every producer in Missouri. We need to provide a pro-agriculture climate for small and family-owned businesses to give them certainty over taxes, healthcare and environmental regulations that directly affect how they hire and conduct their operations.
“A lot is hanging in the balance for our rural communities right now.”