PRINCETON, Ky. — Last week, Kentucky Soybean Association (KSA) farmer-leaders visited Capitol Hill to talk about trade policy, infrastructure, the biodiesel tax credit, RINs caps and the Farm Bill. The visit was in conjunction with the American Soybean Association’s Washington, D.C. March meeting, which included farmers from a number of soybean growing states and focused on the national policy organization’s stance on issues that affect farmers in the Commonwealth.
KSA President Larry Thomas of Elizabethtown said that the legislators were receptive to the farmers’ comments and that he believed the visits were of value to KSA members and other farmers alike. “I understand that everyone is concerned about these issues and how they affect each farm operation, and that it’s not practical to expect every individual to take time to fly to Washington, D.C. and schedule appointments with their Senators and Congressmen. As farmer-leaders for the Kentucky Soybean Association, that’s something that we do on behalf of our members. We work with our board and the American Soybean Association to determine the issues that are most important prior to a visit, and we make sure that we’re prepared to speak to those issues. Our lawmakers are busy and often don’t have time for a long meeting, and being well-prepared enables us to get to the heart of an issue quickly and share with them what effects legislation – or lack of legislation – would have on Kentucky’s soybean growers.”
Visits such as these, coupled with strong relationships between KSA farmer-leaders and lawmakers in both Frankfort and Washington, amplify the voice of Kentucky’s soybean farmers. With farmers being such a small percentage of the population but ag issues impacting everyone at the grocery store and beyond, the farmer-leaders of KSA make it a priority to influence policy at both the state and federal levels.
Membership in the Kentucky Soybean Association is open to any soybean producer and any business/organization that serves Kentucky soybean growers. For more information on soybean farming in Kentucky, visit www.kysoy.org.
— Kentucky Soybean Board
For more news from Kentucky, click here.