Farmers Share Perspectives with Policymakers

Farm Journal Foundation’s Farmer Ambassador Program enables farmers to take agriculture’s story to Washington D.C.

By Whitney McFerron

Farmers have unique and vital views and solutions to help meet rising global demand. To ensure farmers have support to innovate and maintain viable businesses, the Farm Journal Foundation created the Farmer Ambassador Program. The foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, brings farmers from across the country to Washington, D.C., to meet with members of Congress to tell the story of U.S. agriculture and advocate for issues such as increased funding for agricultural research and global food security.

Meet just a few of the ambassadors:

Annie Dee
Aliceville, Ala.
Annie Dee runs Dee River Ranch, which produces corn, soybeans, timber and cattle, all with a heavy emphasis on conservation practices such as cover crops and no-till. Annie says it’s important for farmers to speak out because less than 2% of the population is involved in farming.

“Most people can say my grandparents or great-grandparents had a farm, but they have no idea how food is produced,” Dee says. “We have to help people understand how their food gets from the farm to the grocery store. As farmers, we need to tell our story, and that's part of the reason why I got involved as a Farmer Ambassador.”

Heather Hampton-Knodle
Filmore, Ill.
Heather Hampton-Knodle raises corn, soybeans, wheat and Angus cattle. She enjoys being a Farmer Ambassador because it has created opportunities to meet other farmers and have an influence with policymakers who write laws to benefit agriculture globally.

“A highlight has been the opportunity to feel like we are being heard on issues that relate to smallholder farmers in developing countries and agricultural research that can benefit them, as well as us," Hampton-Knodle says. "There's a win-win here, and it's good to be part of it."

Mike and Edie McMahon
Homer, N.Y.
Mike and Edie McMahon are owners of E-Z Acres, an 850-cow dairy farm, with an additional 750 head of youngstock, that has won multiple environmental stewardship awards. Mike McMahon says the Foundation’s humanitarian mission inspired them to participate.

“We should feel a kindred relationship to smallholder farmers who derive their living from the earth as we do,” he says. “These people just need access to simple technologies that can help them not only feed themselves and their families, but also make a profit to reinvest in their farms. Secondly, as smallholder farmers realize the benefits of technology, they will eventually become customers of American produce.”

Steve and Cindy Olson
Plainview, Texas
Steve and Cindy Olson grow cotton, corn, sunflowers, grain sorghum, wheat and seed crops. Steve says it’s important for farmers to advocate for global food security because it can help stabilize countries and promote national security.

“Many people didn't realize until Covid-19 just how fragile our food supply really is,” Steve says. “That's one of the biggest things that we, as Ambassadors, need to do -- make sure that we keep food security and innovation at the forefront.”

Join the Team

Farmer Ambassadors represent all aspects of agriculture – including row crops, specialty crops, and livestock. If you’re interested in joining, contact David Hong at dhong@farmjournalfoundation.org.

Meet more of the Farm Journal Foundation Farmer Ambassadors.