Farmers who live along the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers may begin to see improvements to locks and dams taking place in the near future. Thanks to the passing of WRDA (Water Resources Development Act), farmers will see transportation of their products become more efficient and competitive with foreign products once the improvements are made to the deteriorating locks and dams.

WRDA has not been updated since 2000. If Congress did not pass WRDA, foreign countries would likely begin looking for reliable suppliers to meet their food demands. This would spell trouble for American Farmers and Ranchers.

However, we can’t consider WRDA a done deal just yet. WRDA only authorizes the project and studies; it does not include funding for the projects. Funding for WRDA will require action by Congress, which likely won’t be looked at until sometime in 2008.

Take a moment to THANK your Senators and Congressman for passing WRDA and encourage them to support funding WRDA. One farmer and rancher at a time, we will make a difference!

This week I am attending the Washington Farm Bureau Annual Meeting in Spokane, Washington. One of the keynote speakers for the meeting was Matt Roloff, star of TLC's "Little People, Big World." Matt and his family live on a farm near Portland, Oregan and raise pumpkins and soon they will also have Christmas trees.

Matt and his wife, Amy, have turned their farm into an Agro-tourism business which allows them to help educate their community about the business of farming.

Matt's message was a true inspiration to everyone in attendance. He spoke about the importance of helping out fellow farmers. He also emphasized how important it was to run your farm as a business.

What I found so unique about Matt was his willingness to share his success with his neighbors. As you leave the Roloff Farm not only will you find signs advertising his neighbors' pumpkin farms, but you will find flyers as well with directions. Matt doesn't see his neighbors as competition, instead, the Roloff Family views their neighbors as members of the same team!

The International Food Information Council (IFIC) launched a new video titled "What's For Lunch?" The intent of the video is to tell a balanced message on food production methods and biotechnology. With more people turning to the internet for information, IFIC saw the importance of making the video available on the internet. You can find this new video on YouTube, and it will soon have a MySpace and FaceBook page.

The "What's For Lunch?" video features consumer interviews, as well as interviews with an academic, dietitian, a farmer and a school principal.

The video focuses on facts, rather than myths. It also points out the important role marketing plays in swaying consumer minds. Take a few minutes and check out this video and see for yourself how just a few words can have a major impact on a farming operation.