Davids Kicks Off Farm Bill Listening Tour in Anderson County
GARNETT, KS – Today, Representative Sharice Davids kicked off her Farm Bill listening tour in Anderson County, visiting Bauman's Cedar Valley Farm and meeting with local producers and agriculture community leaders. The tour will continue at farms, ranches, and businesses across the Third District as Davids prepares to consider the 2023 Farm Bill through her position on the House Agriculture Committee. This package of legislation is typically renewed every five years and determines federal agriculture and nutrition policy impacting Kansas families both urban and rural.
"I'm visiting with folks all across the district on this listening tour because I want to make sure I'm prepared for the upcoming Farm Bill discussion in Congress," said Davids. "Bauman's is a great example of the type of family-owned operation that really drives our economy here in Kansas. I'm hoping that this Congress, we will find common ground to pass a Farm Bill that supports our entire food system and economy, and my goal on this tour is make sure I am ready to fight for Kansas' priorities in that effort."
On the listening tour, Davids was joined by representatives from the Kansas Farmer's Union, Kansas Rural Center, and the Kansas State Board of Agriculture as well as local farmers and producers in Anderson County. They discussed key topics in this year's farm bill, including protecting crop insurance policies that farmers' rely on, and supporting Market Access Programs so Kansas producers can get their products to global markets.
Bauman's Cedar Valley Farms is a first-generation farm established in 2001 by John and Yvonne Bauman and their six children, raising pasture-based beef, lamb, pork, chicken, turkey and duck. Since then, they have expanded to employ 40-60 people across various enterprises, including non-GMO grains and cow-calf operations at Bauman Brothers Farms, an on-farm, USDA-inspected poultry slaughter and processing service as well as an off-site USDA-inspected beef and pork slaughter and processing plant, a full-service diesel truck and equipment repair shop for local farms and businesses, and more.
Last year, Davids has hosted U.S. Department of Agriculture Undersecretaries Jennifer Lester Moffitt and Xochitl Torres Small for visits to the Third District to learn about the area's meatpacking and dairy industries, respectively. She was also named a Friend of the Farm Bureau by the Kansas Farm Bureau in 2022.