At Land O’Lakes, Inc., advocacy comes in many forms. Land O’Lakes has established itself as a national voice of agriculture because of its farmer ownership and ability to share authentic stories from people throughout the industry. With a host of issues on the horizon that have the potential to impact our industries—Farm Bill, immigration, trade, etc.— we’re working to ensure farming is top of mind with key legislators.

In February, Sen. Todd Young (R – Ind.) toured Fair Oaks Farms, a learning and agri-tourism farm in Fair Oaks, Indiana, to learn firsthand about the innovation and technology central to modern farming.

Joined by students from Purdue University and the Land O’Lakes Global Food Challenge,  Sen. Young visited the WinField Crop Adventure and Dairy Adventure at Fair Oaks Farms. The farm’s experiences allow visitors, like Sen. Young, to meet farmers, see and touch the high-tech tools used by modern growers and learn about careers in agriculture.

Sen. Young’s visit served as an opportunity to educate him on the story of modern agriculture, particularly ahead of the 2018 Farm Bill.

“It’s important for elected officials such as Sen. Young to understand the issues facing farmers today,” says Autumn Price, vice president of Government Relations at Land O’Lakes. “Visits like this allow us to put faces to those issues in addition to showcasing technological advances in agriculture.”

This visit is just one example of how Land O’Lakes, our members and partners across the industry are advocating for farmers and agriculture with elected officials and policymakers, be it on the farm, in Washington or in state legislatures across the country.

With less than 2 percent of the country directly involved with agriculture, this kind of advocacy is more important now than ever. If you are interested in hosting your own local elected representatives at your farm or cooperative location, our Government Relations team is ready to support you in making it happen. Contact governmentrelations@landolakes.com to learn how you can get involved.