American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall spoke with President Biden today to discuss several challenges farmers and ranchers are facing and the importance of final Congressional action on the Ocean Shipping Reform Act to address the backlog at our ports.

On a cold winter morning in 1945, a young Army lieutenant, Garlin Conner, sprinted ahead of American lines near the French and German border with a telephone, radio, and wire reel, ignoring warnings of danger from his fellow soldiers. Allied forces were trying to repel a German surge, and Lt. Conner’s unit needed to knock out enemy tanks, or they would be overrun. Lt. Conner found a shallow ditch where he laid for three hours, calling in artillery strikes. German soldiers made it within 20 feet of his position when Lt. Conner called in an artillery strike near where he was laying. He put himself in peril to save his unit.

My perspective on taking breaks has shifted recently. I feel like I now have a better understanding of what that really means for myself.

Parenting while also working can be exhausting. I've found myself yearning for a break to have a chance for my brain to reset. Time to soak in sweet silence and be able to use both my hands at the same time doing something that isn't for the farm, isn't for the kids, isn't for Kyle; doing something that is for me.

In recognition of May as Mental Health Month, the American Farm Bureau Federation will host a free virtual event, Farmers Saving Lives, on Tuesday, May 31, at 2:00 p.m. Eastern.

The live event will feature compelling stories from three Farm Bureau members who believe that advocating for mental health wellness is a way to save lives in rural and farming communities. Farmers, ranchers and their families are encouraged to attend via telephone, smartphone or tablet from planters, harvesters, greenhouses, dairy barns, farm trucks, classrooms and carpool lines.