Author Malinda Bothwell is a Livingston County Farm Bureau board member and a participant in the 2025 MOFB IMPACT Leadership Academy

Amid the tumultuous commodity markets, planting and harvest, and all of work and life that happens in-between, it’s easy to get stuck in the daily grind. That’s why it’s wise to step outside of our comfort zone and shake things up. That was part of my inspiration when I applied for the Missouri Farm Bureau’s (MOFB) 2025 IMPACT Leadership Academy. I was eager to enhance my community engagement and agricultural leadership, and the IMPACT program offered a flexible way to do just that. Over the past eight months, it’s been all I hoped and more. Now, at the culmination of our experience, the five other IMPACT participants and I had the great privilege of visiting the nation’s capital this month. Despite being in the midst of a government shutdown — and perhaps even more interesting because of it — we spent three days digging deep into the current state of agricultural policy and the unique political environment shaping our industry today.

The American Farm Bureau Federation team set the stage as we began the week, coaching us on how to lead impactful conversations with our representatives and best tell the story, our personal stories, of the Missouri farmer. We had an excellent opportunity to meet with the legislative teams of Senator Josh Hawley and Representatives Sam Graves and Jason Smith, to share our concerns about the dire state of the farm economy and call for government support. The absolute highlight was Senator Josh Hawley joining our small group, giving us the chance to sit around the table with our senator and personally discuss the challenges facing Missouri farmers today and what the government can do to help. We continued the conversation by digging into the agricultural policy development process with the Senate Ag Committee staff. Beyond meeting with legislators, we had the opportunity to deep-dive into the current state of trade negotiations and the administration’s work on ag trade with the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. We also spoke with industry leaders like JBS, who graciously hosted us and shared their perspective on the challenges and the opportunities in the protein market. Other highlights included meeting with the Australian Embassy, The Fertilizer Institute, Agri-Pulse, HB Strategies Group, and Mary Kay Thatcher.

Throughout our conversations, several guests echoed the same thought: “I never intended to be in DC this long, but once I was immersed in public service, I just couldn’t leave.” They had caught the D.C. bug. Many of them were Missourians who found their calling and their chance to make a difference for good in the nation’s capital. This trip and the IMPACT program have had a similar impact on me – I’ve caught the Farm Bureau bug. It has never been clearer to me than on this visit to Washington, D.C., the level of impact MOFB cultivates in our communities, our industry, and our country as a whole. I’ve returned home eager to continue growing my impact with the organization and am especially proud of the work MOFB does on behalf of farmers like us.

As our IMPACT year comes to a close, I encourage anyone interested in expanding their knowledge of MOFB, agribusiness leadership, and politics to apply. Applications for the 2026 class will be accepted through December 19. You can apply online at mofb.org/impact.