KOSHKONONG, MO – On August 3, 2017, Congressman Jason Smith stopped at the Trickling Springs Creamery as part of his 5th annual focus on farms and talked with them about issues they face in running their business.
Trickling Springs Creamery processes 2,000 gallons of milk per day and has 43 employees. They make cheese, frozen and drinkable yogurt. One of the things the creamery struggles with is the cost of shipping and receiving.
“Trickling Springs’ costs for shipping and receiving could be reduced if America did not have to rely on foreign countries for oil and if Washington bureaucrats didn’t single handedly enact rules like the electronic logging device mandate,” said Congressman Smith.
Smith is helping coauthor legislation to delay the electronic logging device (ELD) mandate, a rule expected to impose significant costs and regulatory burdens on small businesses.
“Bottom line, the ELD mandate is going to hurt the little guy. I didn’t run for Congress to help multi-million dollar companies. I’m in Congress to help the folks in Missouri,” said Congressman Smith.
Smith also has a record of working with the Trump Administration to make America energy independent. Earlier this year, President Trump took major action to move forward with the Keystone XL pipeline project, a project Smith voted to advance multiple times since joining Congress. The construction of the pipeline is expected to lower energy costs for Missouri families and create more than 42,000 construction jobs.
The creamery is looking to expand their operations, increase the diversity of products they make at the facility, hire more full time employees and grow from 60,000 gallons of milk produced per month to 100,000 gallons per month.
“Agribusinesses like Trickling Springs are incredibly important to the economy in southeast and south central Missouri,” said Congressman Smith. “Focusing on farms to better understand what these companies need to be successful benefits everyone in our area who depend on operations like Trickling Springs for either their full-time job or a drinkable yogurt for their children’s lunchbox when they need it.”
This is the fifth year in a row that Congressman Jason Smith has dedicated the month of August to focus on farms in southeast and south central Missouri. Throughout this month, Congressman Smith will visit Missouri’s agricultural operations to hear directly from farmers, ranchers and agriculture industry professionals to get a better understanding of what challenges they are facing and how he can help as they work to feed and supply America.
One of the biggest concerns Smith heard about during last August’s focus on farms was the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) regulation, which sought to federally regulate every drop of water on Missouri farmers’ land. In the last year, Smith worked directly with the Trump Administration to stop this rule and relieve Missouri farmers from the burden of WOTUS.
Congressman Smith has plans to stop at farms in each of the 30 counties in Missouri's Eighth Congressional District as he has done every August since he was elected. This year’s focus on farms will highlight the people in our area who run these operations and the tremendous impact that agriculture has on the economy and rural way of life in southeast and south central Missouri.
