Missouri Farm Bureau President Garrett Hawkins urged Missouri Senate leaders to adopt a Congressional map that maintains strong rural representation in a letter sent on Tuesday.

Hawkins, in a letter to Senators Dave Schatz and Caleb Rowden, voiced the organization’s stance that Missouri Farm Bureau is committed to ensuring that rural Missourians’ voices are strongly represented in Washington, D.C. For many years, Missouri’s leaders have proven they understand the importance of agriculture, Missouri’s number-one industry.

“Efforts to dilute the impact of rural representation run counter to our state’s best interests,” Hawkins wrote. “When rural Missouri is strong, our entire state is strong. Our citizens are best served when their Congressional districts reflect their local communities.”

Missouri Farm Bureau is the state’s largest general farm organization, with over 143,000 member families throughout every part of the state. View the full letter to Sens. Schatz and Rowden here.