{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://fortenberry.house.gov/news/fort-report/fort-report-fair", "Fort Report: The Fair", "2020-08-28", "2020", "2020-08", "Republican", "House", "NE", "Jeff Fortenberry", "F000449", "fortenberry.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Throughout summer but mainly around this time until Labor Day, farmers, ranchers, and families from across our state gather for one of our best traditions: the annual county fairs. With the greatest concentration of blue jeans and cowboy boots outside of a Garth Brooks concert, Nebraska's and America's ag fairs showcase Farm Country in all its variety.  The idea of the fair in America began in 1841 in Syracuse, New York to promote state agriculture through competitive exhibitions of livestock and displays of farm products. The Nebraska State Fair began in September 1859 when we were still the Nebraska Territory. It was held in various locales until 1901 when it was moved to the Lancaster County Fairgrounds in Lincoln, and then moved again in 2008 to Grand Island.  About 2,000 state and county fairs are held annually in North America. These iconic events continue to exhibit the equipment and animals associated with agriculture and animal husbandry. Growing up, the fair was a chance for a wannabe farmer and 4-H member like myself to display skills in livestock competition or have fun with a spin on the Tilt-A-Whirl, or just lose money trying to win a stuffed animal. All the while gorging on corn dogs and soda pop. Fairs encourage and develop the next generation of America's farmers and ranchers. Agricultural producers in Rural America represent less than 1% of the total U.S. population, yet they feed America and help feed the world. The average age of the American farmer is 57 years old, making it imperative for us to engage and encourage young people to pursue careers in ag. By cultivating a passion for agriculture in students and supporting beginning farmers and ranchers, fairs help build what I call the Farm of the Future, a mix of large-scale production ag and small-scale niche farming that's already expanding our Farm Family here in Nebraskaconnecting the urban to the rural, the farmer to the family, and the farm to the table.  Fairs, like so many other industries in the U.S., have suffered tremendous financial loss due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Each year, agricultural fairs contribute nearly five billion dollars and thousands of jobs to the US economy. With two-thirds of our nation's state fairs canceled this year, the loss in revenue in this year alone exceeds three billion dollars. While the Nebraska State Fair will continue this year, albeit in significantly truncated form, I was proud to lead the effort behind theAg Fairs Rescue Actin the House to provide some relief to state, county, and local fairs. Speaking of Farm Country, I had the chance this week to visit Lowell Mueller's fifth-generation, family-run dairy operation out near Hooper to discuss the importance of the National Dairy Check-Off Program. I then stopped in at the Barreras family farm near Blair. They are building inclusive community and keeping food local while living the small-farm dream. A healthy society has healthy entertainment venues. The disruption of fairs as a part of our late summer routine is another blow to our desire for community. I am as eager as you are to fight past this COVID moment. Perhaps it can remind us of just how precious these important traditions like the fair have been to our well-beingeven the corn dog. Sincerely,\n\tCongressman Jeff Fortenberry", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://fortenberry.house.gov/news/fort-report/fort-report-fair"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8352012373507023, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}