EMERSON TO HOLD AG TOUR THIS MONTH

U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson will meet with farmers and agribusiness owners during her annual agricultural tour, scheduled to begin Aug. 9 at a Cape Girardeau County dairy farm.

The agricultural tour will continue Aug. 10, and then resume Aug. 13. Stops also are planned on Aug. 14 and 15 in Southeast Missouri's 8th Congressional District.

This is the 20th farm tour, an annual event begun by her first husband, the late Rep. Bill Emerson.

This year's tour will start at the Jerry Siemers dairy farm at 8:30 a.m. on Aug. 9 and include a stop at the Pierce catfish farm in Caruthersville, Mo., later in the day.

On Aug. 10, the Cape Girardeau Republican will participate in a roundtable discussion in Dexter, Mo., on agriculture issues with state Sen. Bill Foster, R-Poplar Bluff, Mo.

The tour includes stops at St. James Winery in St. James, Mo., and a dinner gathering with members of the Missouri Forest Products Association.

Emerson said it is important to talk to farmers and agribusiness owners before Congress approves a new farm bill.

"Our farmers are facing the fourth year in a row of low prices in the marketplace and energy costs are higher than they have been in a long time," she said.