{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://mann.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-mann-hosts-thank-american-farmer-david-beasley-world-food-programme", "Rep. Mann hosts 'Thank the American Farmer' with David Beasley of the World Food Programme", "2022-11-04", "2022", "2022-11", "Republican", "House", "KS", "Tracey Mann", "M000871", "mann.house.gov", "mann", "https://mann.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "Salina, KS - Yesterday, U.S. Representative Tracey Mann (KS-01) convened a group of Kansas farmers and agricultural leaders at a Cargill grain elevator in Salina to pay tribute to the rich history of Kansas agriculture\u2019s role in feeding the world. The event featured David Beasley, the Executive Director of the World Food Programme - the world\u2019s largest humanitarian organization specializing in using American-grown commodities for international food assistance.\n\n\u201cThe Big First District is the third largest agricultural-producing congressional district in the country, ranking number one in wheat production, sorghum production, and beef production,\u201d said Rep. Mann. \u201cTo feed more people, we must encourage more people to become involved in production agriculture. American farmers can produce food more efficiently and effectively here than anywhere else in the world.\u201d\n\nKansas farmers know this mission well. In September 1953, Peter O\u2019Brien, a farmer from Cheyenne County Kansas stood up at his local county Farm Bureau meeting to share an idea. He wanted to donate surplus Kansas grain to hungry people around the world. Over the course of the next several months, today\u2019s Food for Peace program was crafted. The following year, one of Kansas\u2019 favorite sons, President Dwight Eisenhower, signed parts of the program into law. That was the beginning of what is now a longstanding Kansas tradition of commitment, care, and leadership in the international effort to address global hunger.\n\n\"Kansas farmers feed, fuel, and clothe people around the world, and it\u2019s no small task \u2013 it takes grit, determination, and partnership between the public and private sectors,\" said Rep. Mann. \"Farmers here know that well and have acted selflessly for more than half a century through their food contributions to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and the World Food Programme. International assistance programs like those that the World Food Programme implements, exemplify a strong return on investment. This investment supports American agricultural producers today and feeds a starving world.\u201d\n\n\u201cHunger is on the march around the world, with manmade conflict, COVID-19, climate extremes, and the soaring costs of food, fuel, and fertilizer bringing millions more people closer to the brink of starvation,\u201d said Executive Director Beasley. \u201cBut even under the weight of so many challenges, I still have hope thanks to communities like this in America\u2019s heartland. History shows that time and time again, American farmers \u2013 including many right here in Kansas - have been active participants, leaders, and shapers of global food security.\u201d\n\n\u201cKansas farmers and ranchers have been at the forefront of fighting hunger,\u201d saidTerry Holdren, Kansas Farm Bureau CEO. \u201cThe Food for Peace Program was created by Kansas Farm Bureau member Peter O\u2019Brien in Cheyenne County because he understood the importance of everyone having access to food. We\u2019re grateful for the hard work, determination, and heart of our members.\u201d\n\n\"Today is a day to celebrate American farmers who have provided nutrition in the place of starvation, created careers of dignity in the place of aimlessness, and secured peace in the place of war,\" said Rep. Mann.\n\nRepresentative Mann is the representative in Congress for the First Congressional District of Kansas. The Big First is home to 60,000 farms and ranches and is the third-largest agriculture production district in the country. Representative Mann proudly serves on the House Agriculture Committee, the Subcommittee on Livestock and Foreign Agriculture, the Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management, and is a member of the Congressional Hunger Caucus.\n\n###\n\nImage\n\nImage", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T03:24:37Z"]], "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://mann.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-mann-hosts-thank-american-farmer-david-beasley-world-food-programme"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.7048130501061678, "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"}