ST. JAMES, Mo. – Congressman Jason Smith (MO-08) visited Bahr Farms in St. James, touring the operation and meeting with Ben Bahr to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing Missouri’s cattle producers.

Congressman Smith said, “Ben and his brother, Travis, are carrying on something their family started generations ago, and being there in person, you can feel just how much work went into building it. What they’ve built today is proof of what’s possible in this country when you’re willing to work for it and pass that work down to the next generation. That’s the story of so many farm families across Southeast Missouri and beyond, and it’s exactly why I fought to make the death tax exemption and small business deduction permanent in the Working Families Tax Cuts — so families like the Bahrs can pass their land down to the next generation instead of it being taxed out of existence. I’ll keep pushing for solutions on fuel, feed, and fertilizer costs, and for stronger USDA support so farmers aren’t stuck driving an hour just to reach an FSA office.”

Ben and Travis Bahr are fourth-generation farmers whose family has owned their land near St. James since 1974, running roughly 1,000 combined acres and about 300 primarily grass-fed Black Angus cattle. On the same property, Travis and his wife, Mandy, also operate Prairie Base, consisting of four buildings that have been converted to Airbnbs — including the family’s original farmhouse.

During the visit, the Bahrs raised concerns about the rising cost of fuel, feed, and fertilizer, as well as staffing shortages at USDA’s Farm Service Agency offices that have left farmers in the region having to travel further for basic assistance. They also discussed the challenge of passing their farm on to the next generation, along with their support for Mandatory Country of Origin Labeling and for the tariffs imposed under President Trump’s America First trade policy that has delivered significant wins and new market access for Missouri farmers.

The Working Families Tax Cuts, which Congressman Smith authored, made permanent death tax relief that protects more than 15,000 family-owned farms in Missouri’s 8th District, along with a permanent small business deduction and 100 percent immediate expensing that allow producers like the Bahrs to reinvest in their operations without losing a share of that investment to federal taxes.