WGEM TV: Graves meets with farmers in Northeast Missouri

Ewing, MO –

Tri-State farmers got a chance voicing their concerns to 6th District Missouri Congressman Sam Graves (R), who met with farmers in Ewing, Missouri Thursday.

Graves said he’s working on making sure farmers get better prices on corn and soybeans long term.

“We know he’s a farmer, i think he said one of seven production farmers in Washington in the house so,” said local farmer Doug Thomas, who came out to meet Graves today, “we just like to hear him talk about it.”

“It is the long game that we have to worry about, but as farmers you know we’re obviously worried about whatever happens in the short term,” said Graves, “we’ve got a crop coming up, we don’t know if it’s a bumper crop or not, if it’s a bumper crop it’s going to depress prices but the fact of the matter is commodities are very volatile.”

Graves said traders make money from the fluctuation, but new deals like the one recently announced with Mexico, aim to bring the overall prices up.

“In this case the tariffs are going to push it down, they’ll make money on the way down, it will go back up and come back down and come back up,” said Graves, “that’s what commodity prices do, it’s just better when they’re a lot higher particularly for farmers who are trying to make farm payments.”

Local farmers hope to see the congressman’s efforts in Washington continue on their behalf.

“I think in general we need to work on trade, we know there’s some short term pain we’re going to have to feel and we hope it’s for long term gain,” said Thomas, “I think he has the same feelings in mind being a farmer himself.”

Graves also talked about working on better infrastructure for Missouri, and cuts to the EPA that he says helps farmers. After the event, he visited with constituents at the Doyle Manufacturing plant in Palmyra.

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