Westerman Concludes Farm Tour in Fourth District

WASHINGTON – This week, U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) hosted his annual farm tour in Arkansas's Fourth District, meeting with both local farmers and corporations involved in the state's agricultural economy. Westerman released the following statement:

"Farmers are the backbone of the American economy. Everything from the cereal you eat in the morning, the shirt you wear to work and the table you eat dinner on can be traced back to a resource produced from the land. Arkansas is home to a variety of farms, and visiting them and meeting the men and women who manage them is always a highlight of my year. I'd like to thank everyone who took time this week to share their concerns about levee damage, walk me through their beef cattle operations, show me their crop harvests and discuss practical solutions to issues facing American farmers. You are the reason our economy is able to thrive, and I'm honored to represent your interests in Congress."

Background

Westerman began the farm tour in Mulberry at a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) grant kickoff event. Both Waldron and Mulberry recently received USDA Rural Community Development grants.

Westerman continued his tour with stops at Ozark High School to talk to Future Farmers of America (FFA) students, a survey of flood damage at both Patterson Soybean and Corn Farm and McLean Bottom, a tour of Big River Roller and Farm Bureau meetings in Paris and Pine Bluff. Westerman also met with the Fourche River Farm and Cattle Company to talk about their beef cattle operation and visited with the Jefferson County Farmers Working Group.

To conclude the week, Westerman toured the Tyson Foods processing plant in Pine Bluff, a location which provides hundreds of jobs to the community and represents the final stop in agriculture production across the state.

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