Vicky is a wife, mother, life-long farmer, small business owner and a former public school teacher with a passion for life and for serving God and others. She grew up on a farm in Cass County, learned the value of hard work, graduated from Archie High School, then received a Bachelor of Science in Education from the University of Missouri. She later earned a Master’s Degree in Education from the University of Central Missouri.
She taught family and consumer sciences for 11 years in Lebanon and Belton, MO, coaching track for six years while at Belton and serving as co-director of a program for at-risk teens in addition to her regular teaching responsibilities.
In addition to serving you in Congress on the House Agriculture Committee, my husband and I own and operate a farm near Harrisonville, where we raise cattle and grow corn, wheat, and soybeans. We also run a small business providing farm equipment and related services to farmers in western Missouri and eastern Kansas. I am proud to bring this first-hand experience and perspective to Washington to advocate for you.
Since my arrival in Washington, the federal bureaucracy has continued to attack America’s farmers, ranchers, and producers. Between the Department of Labor, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and other agencies, the agriculture industry in America has been hit with burdensome and unnecessary rules and regulations. This needs to stop. Washington needs to get out of the way and allow our industries to thrive in the free market. I’m proud to have been an original co-sponsor of legislation to stop EPA’s Waters of the U.S. rule which expands federal jurisdiction to over 99% of the nation’s landmass, led a successful effort to provide more transparency to sale barns during the audit process, and been a strong voice on efforts to push back on overreach ranging from farm dust regulations to federal limits on teenagers working on their neighbors farms.
In addition to my efforts to get the federal government out of the way, I have also worked with my colleagues to pass legislation to strengthen our agricultural industry. In 2014 I was pleased to see a bipartisan five-year farm bill signed into law. I believe a strong farm bill is necessary to ensure America maintains the safest, most affordable food supply in the world.
I have also introduced or supported bills to push back on agency overreach from OSHA and FERC, to promote free trade, and allow our farmers and ranchers to continue to provide the country with quality products unhindered by federal bureaucrats.
As long as I am in Washington, I will continue to work for common-sense farm policy that strikes a balance between protecting rural interests and advancing fiscal responsibility. A safe and abundant domestic food supply is vitally important to the overall strength of America, and I am committed to protecting the ability of all Missouri’s Fourth District farmers and ranchers to run their operations as they see fit.