Contact: Ernie Blazar 202.224.7627 Shana Stribling 202.224.0309
Thursday, August 14, 2003

SEDALIA, MO - Senator Kit Bond today brought a top official from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to the Missouri State Fair to brief Missouri farmers on key national issues that affect farmers.

Bond hosted William T. "Bill" Hawks, Undersecretary for Marketing and Regulatory affairs at the U.S. Department of Agriculture during a meeting with Missouri’s agriculture leadership during his annual Ag Advisory Lunch at the State Fair. The luncheon is an opportunity for Bond to meet with a cross-section of Missouri’s agriculture community to discuss current issues in Washington that affect Missouri’s farmers.

“I brought Bill to Sedalia to hear directly from Missouri farmers and ranchers," said Bond, who also attended the Ham Breakfast,â€쳌 said Bond. "This was a great opportunity to get the policy-makers and the people affected by those policies around the same table to talk candidly about what more we can do to help Missouri's farming families."

Hawks is a native Mississippi farmer. Prior to his appointment as Under Secretary in 2001, Hawks was the managing partner of Hawks Farming. At different times throughout his career, he operated a dairy farm, grew vegetables for fresh consumption, had a beef cow herd, and grew cotton, corn, wheat, and soybeans on land in northern Mississippi.

Bond will also discuss federal help for firefighters during his visit to the State Fair firehouse. Missouri Secretary of State Matt Blunt joined Bond to discuss the need to avert cuts in state funds for firefighting training and safety programs and the need to boost federal assistance.