Moran, chairman of the Sub-Committee on General Commodities and Risk Management on the House Committee on Agriculture, was the guest of the Delta Council as he toured various Delta agricultural sites.

Moran spent quality time at Delta Council offices at Stoneville with a group of farmers and Delta Council leaders in a forum of questions with open dialogue.

“It was a very good session,” said Moran. “We talked about all kinds of issues. It was a very good and informative give-and-take. The session fit well into the purpose of my visit which is to get a first-hand feel for what many farmers are facing in the Mississippi Delta.”

Following the Monday session, the entourage set about on a whirlwind tour of farming facilities in Washington County which included the Burdette Gin Co. about five miles south of Leland, a catfish operation and rice fields.

“I think it’s great he wants to see Delta agriculture,” says Branton who is also this year’s president of Delta Council. Moran toured Branton’s catfish operation and rice fields. “We’ve talked about all kinds of things. He’s even flown over rice fields on his way to Greenville. I’m very pleased to show him what we do here and how we do it.”

Moran says even though “I come from Kansas, I still understand many of the agricultural issues which concern Mississippi farmers. We have mainly grain crops in Kansas while the agriculture in the Mississippi Delta is much more diverse with cotton, catfish and rice.”

“One thing I’ve learned is that we need to work together to get anything done. Farmers around the country have got to be together on many of these issues. It doesn’t matter if you’re a farmer from Kansas or a farmer from Mississippi, farmers have a lot in common with a lot of challenges,” says the congressman.

“There are global issues that affect farmers right here in the Mississippi Delta. We need to be ready to react to them. Better yet, we need to see that we’re proactive and not waiting until the issues are here, then, start worrying about things,” says Moran.

“Mississippi agriculture is a lot different than agriculture in other parts of the country,” he says. “The Delta is fortunate to have a lot of innovative people who know how to face challenges. You’re very innovation-oriented and are looking to the future in a very progressive, pro-active way.”

Moran thinks that if other countries want “to see how things are right and with efficiency, they only have to come here and see for themselves. Actually, to see Delta agriculture, it strikes me that people here are more than just farmers. It’s very impressive to me to see what’s done here.”

“The Delta is very fortunate to have many innovative farmers which have the mindset to look toward the future of agriculture and see ways to make it better and more efficient. Now we, at the national level, have to do our part to help out and work with the innovation,” he says.

Challenges facing American agriculture—especially in the Mississippi Delta —“are getting more complex because of the globalization of the world economy,” says Moran. “We have to be very efficient with our agriculture as other countries are. We have to deal with the tariff issues and the subsidization of agriculture by other governments particularly in Europe and South America.”

“We have to develop a plan to make our products as competitive as possible so that our farmers can continue to farm and make a profit. We’re seeing a decline in the family farm and we have to do something about that, too. I’d like to see us move away from the mega-farm operations and put more emphasis and assistance into smaller family-owned and operated farming operations,” says Moran.

The congressman also says his trip to the Delta will help him in the decision-making process with agriculture policies is such areas as trade and crop insurance as well as other issues.

Pickering, now in his fourth term as congressman, says, “southern agriculture is very different than agriculture in the Midwest. But in the nation, we have to balance a policy in agriculture that recognizes the farmers needs in the Midwest and farmers needs in the south. That’s why I wanted Jerry (Moran) to come and see what we do down here.”

“We need a good working relationship with a congressman like Jerry Moran. We need to stick together. We need to show America that our strength in agriculture and as farmers is in being unified across the country,” Pickering says.

Chip Morgan, executive vice president of Delta Council, was appreciative of Moran’s two-day visit in the Mississippi Delta.

“It was very good for him to come here,” says Morgan. “He’s an important leader in setting policy on commodity programs and trade issues which affect our Delta farmers like on catfish and grain crops. His committee has jurisdiction over conservation issues and rural development and the empowerment zone. And he’s already aware of many of needs and concerns because of Chip Pickering.”

“This trip gives me a lot of insight on Delta agricultural issues. I’m really glad I took up the invitation to come here for a visit,” says Moran. DBJ