TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Gwen Graham, candidate in Florida's second congressional district, released the following statement underscoring the importance of the Farm Bill for farmers in the Second Congressional District.
Gwen Graham made the following statement: "After unnecessary delay, the House of Representatives has finally come together to pass a Farm Bill. The farmers in North Florida will finally have certainty when planting next year's crops. It is unfortunate the sole reason the bill was delayed in the first place was because of a manufactured crisis by Congressman Southerland - who put partisan politics above farmers, the economy and his own district. Speaking with farmers, small business owners and North Floridians from all walks of life, it's become clear to me they are hungry for new leadership, a representative who will speak for them with an independent voice."
This follows her work day on Bobbie and Ed Golden's sixty-eight acre goat ranch just outside of Monticello, Florida. Graham's workday coincided with a visit from the Florida Department of Agriculture to inspect the Bobbie's poultry. Graham was tasked with helping test chickens and roosters for evidence of scaly leg mites and salmonella. The afternoon was spent tending after the goats by feeding them, cleaning their stalls, filing their hooves and checking them for illness.
This wasn't a typical day on the campaign trail. After a full day of work, Graham left the goat ranch covered in mud, rainwater and goat manure. "I learned firsthand just how hard North Florida farmers work everyday to put food on our tables," Graham said.
Voters in the Second Congressional District believe supporting agriculture shouldn't be a political issue - yet, our own Congressman, Steve Southerland, has been blamed with killing a bipartisan farm bill just a few months ago. Fortunately, a revised version of the bill passed through Congress about three weeks ago.
