U.S. Representative Jo Ann Emerson (R) made the last stop on her 2008 Farm Tour Vance Vineyard and Winery in Fredericktown.

“The farms and ranches in Southern Missouri are not your run-of-the-mill agricultural operations.  We have innovations at work here that are literally leading the world, and at the same time Missouri is bringing brand new crops and products to the market,” Emerson said.  “The producers, the businesses, and the families which are hard at work in our agricultural economy deserve fair policies both in Congress and throughout the globe.  My annual farm tour is just one of the ways I keep in touch with state-of-the art methods being used to make our part of the state competitive in agricultural markets around the world.”

Stops on Emerson’s tour include a meeting with timber producers, stops at a dairy and a ranch, the winery and one to a greenhouse.  Emerson also joined a briefing on s production and the contribution this technology should make to American energy security.

“It is especially important to me to visit with our producers, researchers, and agri-business leaders one-on-one and see their operations firsthand.  Agriculture is vital to our rural economy, and our farms and ranches are a source of great pride,” Emerson said.