{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://jasonsmith.house.gov/2026/08/08/smith-visits-bahr-farms-in-st-james/", "Smith Visits Bahr Farms in St. James", "2026-08-08", "2026", "2026-08", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Jason Smith", "S001195", "jasonsmith.house.gov", "jasonsmith", "https://jasonsmith.house.gov/category/press_release/", "scraper", "ST. JAMES, Mo. \u2013 Congressman Jason Smith (MO-08) visited Bahr Farms in St. James, touring the operation and meeting with Ben Bahr to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing Missouri\u2019s cattle producers.\n\nCongressman Smith said, \u201cBen and his brother, Travis, are carrying on something their family started generations ago, and being there in person, you can feel just how much work went into building it. What they\u2019ve built today is proof of what\u2019s possible in this country when you\u2019re willing to work for it and pass that work down to the next generation. That\u2019s the story of so many farm families across Southeast Missouri and beyond, and it\u2019s exactly why I fought to make the death tax exemption and small business deduction permanent in the Working Families Tax Cuts \u2014 so families like the Bahrs can pass their land down to the next generation instead of it being taxed out of existence. I\u2019ll keep pushing for solutions on fuel, feed, and fertilizer costs, and for stronger USDA support so farmers aren\u2019t stuck driving an hour just to reach an FSA office.\u201d\n\nBen and Travis Bahr are fourth-generation farmers whose family has owned their land near St. James since 1974, running roughly 1,000 combined acres and about 300 primarily grass-fed Black Angus cattle. On the same property, Travis and his wife, Mandy, also operate Prairie Base, consisting of four buildings that have been converted to Airbnbs \u2014 including the family\u2019s original farmhouse.\n\nDuring the visit, the Bahrs raised concerns about the rising cost of fuel, feed, and fertilizer, as well as staffing shortages at USDA\u2019s Farm Service Agency offices that have left farmers in the region having to travel further for basic assistance. They also discussed the challenge of passing their farm on to the next generation, along with their support for Mandatory Country of Origin Labeling and for the tariffs imposed under President Trump\u2019s America First trade policy that has delivered significant wins and new market access for Missouri farmers.\n\nThe Working Families Tax Cuts, which Congressman Smith authored, made permanent death tax relief that protects more than 15,000 family-owned farms in Missouri\u2019s 8th District, along with a permanent small business deduction and 100 percent immediate expensing that allow producers like the Bahrs to reinvest in their operations without losing a share of that investment to federal taxes.", 1, "2026-08-09T05:47:57Z", "2026-08-09T05:49:40Z"]], "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://jasonsmith.house.gov/2026/08/08/smith-visits-bahr-farms-in-st-james/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.6249779835343361, "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"}