Back in 2012, I decided to launch a farm tour. It was right after the 2010 census, and the Second Congressional District had just changed shape—I still represented Worcester, but I also started representing a lot more farmland in Central and Western Massachusetts. I think one of the most important parts of my job as a Member of Congress is to listen and learn about the people I represent—so I asked my staff to invite key leaders from the United States Department of Agriculture, the Massachusetts Department of Energy and Environmental Affairs, and the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources on a farm tour. Together, we all spent two days traveling the district, listening, and learning about what our farms and farmers need to thrive. "Some of the best farmland in America lies right here in Massachusetts, along the Connecticut River Valley and in the fields of Central Massachusetts. And some of the most dedicated, loyal, and hardworking farmers you'll meet anywhere in the world are our friends and neighbors. Their tenacity, determination, and skill feeds us all. They are vital to our landscape, essential to our health, and I'm going to do everything I can to fight for and protect their way of life." Here are a few of my priorities for America’s farmers and farms: Protecting Small Family Farms I’ve seen firsthand the destructive strain that big business and consolidation within the agriculture industry has put on our small farms. That’s why in Congress, I have worked to ensure that the govern