MANES, MO – On August 8, 2017, Congressman Jason Smith stopped at Dowden Dairy in Wright County to talk with the Dowden Family about the challenges they face while running their family dairy farm.
Gene and DaLisa Dowden run the dairy farm with their four children. They shared with Congressman Smith that they were concerned about regulations that would put small family farms out of business.
Congressman Smith talked about one regulation that he found to be particularly harmful, stating that there used to be an EPA rule that put a milk spill on a family run dairy farm in the same category as an oil spill caused by corporate negligence.
“After so many years of Washington bureaucrats trying to regulate every hair on Missourians’ heads, I am glad we finally have a President who is willing to work with us to stop these rules and relieve Missouri farmers from burdensome government regulations,” said Congressman Smith.
The Dowden family also shared that it’s difficult to find people who want to work for their family farm, so their kids work together to keep the cows milked and fed.
“The Dowdens are some of the hardest workers I have ever seen,” said Congressman Smith. “Unfortunately, I’ve heard from several folks during my focus on farms that people can make just as much money or, in some cases, more money on government programs than they can by doing an honest day’s work. That’s why I’ve supported legislation to strengthen work requirements for public assistance programs.”
Smith sponsored The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Reform Act of 2017 (H.R. 2996), which would help reduce poverty and government dependency, increase self-sufficiency, and restore families by strengthening the effective and popular work requirements for all “able-bodied adults without dependents” (ABAWDS) who receive food stamps from SNAP.
“There is a tremendous amount of pride in knowing you worked hard for what you earned,” said Congressman Smith. “That’s how I grew up, and I think it’s important to pass that work ethic along and not let folks just get something for nothing.”
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.
