Essay winner attends fly-in
FFA essay winner Katie Benson of Staples with her father Stephen Benson and Staples Motley FFA advisor Kerry Lindgren were able to fly along with the Minnesota Farmers Union (MFU) on Sept. 12 to join National Farmers Union (NFU) and nearly 300 fellow farmers, ranchers and rural citizens from across the county to meet with several U.S. Senators and Congressman.
Katie was able to use the skills learned in FFA and her commitment to rural Minnesota and farming to give her insight to representatives in Congress on the things that are affecting family farmers today.
The group in a whole was able to express their concerns and the need for change in the agriculture industry of the country in order to protect the future of family farmers including concerns about consolidation and current prices in agriculture and addressing the trade and renewable fuels
“This is the opportunity that our members have to get in front of the representatives of Congress to help them understand the struggles that American family farmers go through.” said Doug Peterson, Minnesota Farmers Union President.
In addition to Capitol Hill visits, Katie along with other MFU members were addressed by Tom Vilsak, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, who answered many questions that were brought forth by all members of National Farmers Union.
Another major component of the fly-in that Katie was able to witness was having the opportunity to present the Golden Triangle award to the key leaders who strongly support agriculture and family farmers, and have a 100 percent voting record with MFU and NFU policies. These leaders are Senator Amy Klobuchar, Senator Al Franken, Representative Colin Peterson, Representative Rick Nolan and Representative Tim Walz.
