Tuesday was the BIG day! We woke up bright and early and donned our suits and made the trip to the Capitol...Stunning to see up close!!! (However, there seems to be scaffolding pretty much everywhere!)
Behind the scene shot of Kristin Harner, MFBF Director of Public Relations, hard at work making us Farm Bureau members look professional!
2016 Farmers to D.C.
Our "Official" U.S. Capitol picture
We spent our day (sometimes literally running!) between the Congressional Buildings.
Rayburn House Office Building
Longworth House Office Building
Cannon House Office Building
Inside the Senate Hart Office Building
Our first meeting was with Senator Al Franken - nerve wracking way to start the day - but his sense of humor instantly helped put everyone at ease!
Again...there is beauty EVERYWHERE!!!
We wanted to peek in at the Senate Ag Committee but the room was full. Senator Klobuchar walked past our group in the hallway and said hello and went in...then she came back out and asked us if we'd like a quick look before they got started - OF COURSE! We hung around until Senator Roberts called the meeting to order with "Amy, who are your guests?" And she replied who we were and he said, "Yo, Minnesota Farm Bureau, I call this meeting to order"!
Mr. Runge goes to Washington!
We did A LOT of walking!
WOW! Just WOW!
It's showtime, boys - get it together!
Right at home wandering the halls of the House of Representatives!
Meeting with Ryan Huff, Legislative Assistant to Erik Paulsen - 3rd District.
Schwann's is in the 3rd District so we all got a treat from the office after our meeting! :)
MFBF President, Kevin Paap, giving us pointers after our first meeting.
Our next meeting ended up happening in a hallway - you take what time you can get! We met with Joe Stanoch, Legislative Assistant to Richard Nolan - 8th District.
Here we go again!!!
Randolph Briley, Senior Legislative Consultant for Tim Walz - 1st District.
Ok, so I'm from a town of 4,500 - I found it impressive that even the garbage cans had the Senate and House logos on them!
Last House meeting of the day...4th District.
Telling our story to Libby Foley, Legislative Assistant to Betty McCollum - their district is the Metro - so they were very interested in first hand rural Minnesota stories. No, Scott and I don't live on a farm, but it was valuable for Libby to hear that we are truly concerned for our food safety, land, water, trade,...and that we are losing our health insurance. We shared how our 4-H kids are trained in Livestock Quality Assurance and Ethics (LQA&E) before they can show an animal. We teach our kids in every situation to "Leave it better than you found it." I'm a mom and I want to ensure that I'm leading my kids down the right path - where we are at, Ag is the path - we're teaching them to love it and embrace it - it's not my background, but I'm learning with them.
We had a little break before our last meeting, so President Paap took us to the House Committee on Agriculture.
Lots of paintings around the room - Collin Peterson - one of Minnesota's own!
Such a beautiful room!
The balcony of the House Ag Committee...
Scott and I on the Ag Committee balcony - one of my favorite D.C. pics!
Just can't get enough - breathtaking sights and the architecture...
...and the history...
Back to the Senate to end the day.
Geez, Scott, keep your pants on!!! Too many metal detectors!!!
Senate lobby
Last meeting of the day!
I'm not sure there is enough media covering whatever is going on across from Senator Klobuchar's office!
Completely enjoyed our meeting with Senator Amy Klobuchar and her Legislative Director, Anne Knapke - both powerful women, both strongly versed in Ag issues!
I know I gave them a hard time and called them our "Handlers", but President Paap, Amber Hanson, and Kristin Harner did a fabulous job making sure neither of our two groups ever walked into a meeting alone, that we stayed on topic, and didn't get in over our heads - THANK YOU for making us look professional and giving us the confidence to speak up for what we believe in - telling our stories and raising our concerns!
Looking good, Scotty!
Such a nice guy carrying my bag in his suit and all...
The men of Washington!
Union Station...time for a little sight seeing!
Farm Bureau supper at The Monocle Restaurant - FABULOUS bread, salad, shellfish bisque, crab cakes, and steak!
Bad picture - beautiful dessert (and STELLA)!
True politician - important phone call outside The Monocle - to the three amigos back home!
Wow, still, just wow! Reflecting on this day in Washington, D.C. is absolutely amazing. I am truly humbled by the "behind the scenes" access into the functioning of the U.S. Government and being able to express our concerns FIRST HAND IN D.C.
*Thank you to MFBF for supplemental pictures on this blog - it would have been rude of me to pull out my phone during meetings with Congressmen and Staffers and start snapping pictures of the group...and then Scott would have probably asked to take a selfie!
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