Mississippi Agriculture Commissioner Andy Gipson led a 21-person team representing local ag workers in Washington, D.C. this week during meetings with federal officials.
The group from Mississippi met with high-level decision-makers from the United States Department of Agriculture’s Office of Natural Resource Conservation Service, Office of Food Safety, and Office of Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs, as well as officials from the U.S. Department of the Interior, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Small Business Administration, and the White House.
“Roundtable discussions started with a very special moment when Dr. Alveda King, niece of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., led us in an opening prayer and song,” Gipson said. “Our delegation had in-depth policy discussions with key decision-makers sharing concerns and issues impacting Mississippi farms and the broader agricultural industry.”
The discussions revolved around Mississippi farmers, ranchers, forest landowners, shrimpers, and fishermen. According to Gipson, topics included halting the dumping of foreign imported catfish, shrimp, and other foods, and blocking European Union Deforestation Regulation applications in the U.S.
Discussions continued with the coordination of more uniform disaster relief and recovery as well as standing up for local food and value-added processing in order to make farming profitable again. The roundtable meetings also allowed members of the delegation to share which policies and programs implemented by the current administration have been beneficial to Mississippi farmers and landowners.
“Resolving these issues would be a game changer for our farmers and landowners. Our farmers are not asking for handouts. They are asking for a level playing field so they can be competitive in the market,” Gipson said. “One of my key takeaways is the genuine interest from the Trump Administration in what is going on in Mississippi and how they can help our farmers. I appreciate President Trump’s and Secretary Rollins’ focus on putting our Farmers First.
“We appreciate the USDA Office of Public and Private Partnerships for hosting our Mississippi Agriculture, Forestry and Seafood Delegation. We will continue having conversations and building relationships so we can make sure Mississippi’s voice is heard at the highest federal levels. Our next step is to prepare a written briefing on the major policy issues that will be shared directly with White House decision-makers. I look forward to updating the people of our great state on the progress made from these discussions.”
