Little Rock – U.S. Senator Blanche Lincoln today announced the launch of the “Lincoln Ag Team,” a group of Arkansas voters who support the Senator’s commitment to rural development, southern agriculture and farm families.
“As a farmer’s daughter from Phillips County, I have always cherished my rural upbringing,” Senator Lincoln said. “Almost half of Arkansans live in the country or in communities with less than 2,500 people so it’s no surprise that our rural way of life is who we are. That’s why I am inviting Arkansans to join my campaign’s online network of rural supporters. Together, we’ll tackle issues such as rural development, child nutrition, farm programs, and other initiatives to help protect our quality of life in rural communities.”
On September 9, 2009, Senator Lincoln became the first Arkansan and the first woman ever to chair the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee in its 184-year history. As the daughter of a seventh generation Arkansan farm family, Senator Lincoln knows that agriculture is the lifeblood of our state’s rural economy.
She fought hard to pass the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008, co-authored the Rural Revitalization Act of 2009, and founded the Senate Hunger Caucus, which advocates on behalf of Americans who suffer from hunger. Blanche has been one of the fiercest and most loyal advocates in Washington for rural development, child nutrition, free trade, forestry and farm programs.
Senator Lincoln encouraged Arkansans to join The Lincoln Ag Team today to stand together on behalf of our Arkansas values of honesty, hard work, faith and independence.
Arkansans joining the “Lincoln Ag Team” include:
David Hillman of Almyra, a rice and soybean farmer and former president of Arkansas Farm Bureau, said, “I have known Senator Lincoln for years, and I know Arkansas’s farmers can count on her. She has been a champion for our farm families throughout her career in public service and she now gives us an even stronger voice in Washington as the new Chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee.”
Mike Freeze of England, co-owner of Keo Fish Farms, said, “Senator Lincoln has always supported Arkansas’s fish farmers and has been especially helpful in protecting the catfish industry from unfair competition with mis-labeled, adulterated fish imported from Asia. She secured financial assistance this year for all of America’s fish farmers when many were worried about going out of business due to high fish food prices that almost doubled in 2008.”
Tommy Lalman of Palestine, farmer and rancher, said, “Senator Lincoln has proven herself to be a friend and leader on issues of importance to cattlemen since being elected to represent us in the U.S. Senate. Time and again, Senator Lincoln has stepped forward and shown leadership on issues that matter most to Arkansas’s 27,000 cattlemen. With Senator Lincoln as Chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, Arkansas’s farmers, ranchers, and consumers can rest assured that we have a very steady hand to guide us into the future.”
Larry McClendon of Marianna, a cotton producer and former National Cotton Council Chairman, said, “No Senator has worked harder or cares more about production agriculture, nutrition and conservation than Senator Lincoln. She has stood up for Arkansas’s producers and worked across the aisle to build bipartisan consensus. Now she is giving Arkansas a strong voice as an outstanding leader for U.S. agriculture.”
Abraham Carpenter Jr., owner and operator of Carpenter Produce of Grady, said, “Senator Lincoln has done a remarkable job as a strong voice for agriculture across the South. She understands agriculture, literally from the grass roots up. All Arkansans, not just farmers, benefit from her leadership as Chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, which oversees our country’s nutrition, rural development, and conservation programs.”
Archie Schaffer, Executive Vice President, Corporate Affairs of Tyson Foods, Inc., said, “Senator Lincoln has been an advocate for Arkansas agriculture her entire career. I am proud to support an Arkansan who has worked tirelessly to protect our state’s poultry industry and to promote Arkansas agriculture to the entire world.”
Gary Sebree of Stuttgart, said, “Senator Lincoln grew up a rice farmer’s daughter in East Arkansas and has been a champion for Arkansas rice farmers during her time in the U.S. Senate. Her first-hand experience has made her a fierce advocate for our state’s farmers and a critical ally for Arkansas’s rice industry.”
