As the Senate returns to session today, I wanted to take a moment to share some of the highlights from the in-state work period. It was great to be able to spend a long, uninterrupted period on the road in the Natural State, visiting with Arkansans and learning what we need to be focusing on in Washington to improve their lives back home. 

• 2019 Ag Tour: Every year during the in-state work period, I spend a week visiting with farmers, ranchers and industry stakeholders at their family farms and production facilities to hear how Washington can improve our agriculture producers’s ability to succeed at feed and clothe the world. My 2019 Ag Tour highlighted innovative methods developed by Arkansas agri-businesses to improve operations. There were plenty of groundbreaking practices to shine a light on, such as Vet Veggies in Springdale, where owner Jerry Martin is seeking to refine techniques of hydroponic farming in a manner that can spread nationwide.

• Veterans Tour: In a similar vein as my ag tour, I spent a week focused on how Washington can better serve Arkansas’s veterans. The week-long tour focused on meeting with veterans to learn more about their needs in communities across the state; examining Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities serving Arkansans; and listening to voices advocating with and for former service members across our state.

• Advocating to Increase the Number of Doctors in Arkansas: Like the rest of the nation, Arkansas is experiencing a physician shortage in our hospitals and medical facilities across the state. To address this crisis, I joined with U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) to introduce a bill to lift the caps on Medicare-funded residency slots. I discussed this solution during a summit on graduate medical education at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences' Schmieding Center for Senior Health and Education.

• Promoting Economic Growth in the Natural State: I was on the road in Arkansas throughout the in-state work period meeting with community leaders and small business owners to discuss legislative efforts to encourage economic growth, increase employment and create a business-friendly environment.

• AETN’s Arkansas Week: I stopped by the AETN studio in Conway to discuss trade issues with Steve Barnes for the August 16 edition of Arkansas Week. You can watch our full conversation here.

• KASU’s Morning Edition: While in Jonesboro, I visited KASU’s studio to chat with Johnathan Reaves during Morning Edition. We discussed veterans’ issues, agriculture, trade and opioids. The entire interview is archived here. 

• Talking Summer Meals with Fox16 News: During summer, many kids don’t have access to the free or reduced lunches they receive throughout the school year. One of the Senate Agriculture Committee’s top priorities is the reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act and I am working to include legislation I authored to address this issue into the larger reauthorization. Watch as Kathy Webb, Executive Director of the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance, and I discuss how this bill would make a difference on the August 29 edition of the Fox16 morning show. 

Thank you to the Arkansans who participated in my most recent telephone town hall that we conducted on Monday, July 30. I appreciated hearing the concerns and answering questions about a wide range of issues important to them including veterans benefits. If you missed the event you can listen to the conversation here. 

Join our next tele-town hall by signing up here.

Tony St. James—host of “All Ag, All Day”—was kind enough to swing by my office during his second annual “All Ag, All Day DC Capitol Ag Tour.” We had a very good visit where we discussed the Farm Bill, hunger relief efforts and trade with Cuba.

The audio of my interview, along with the wide array of others Tony conducted during the tour, is available online here.