On October 12th, the Mississippi Department of Transportation held a ceremony in Caledonia to dedicate the PFC Bradford C. Freeman Memorial Highway. Missy Younger, Team Kelly's Field Representative, joined friends, family, and members of the community to honor the late World War II veteran.

PFC Freeman was the last remaining member of the "Band of Brothers" popularized by an HBO miniseries. In February 1944, he served with the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. He fought in the D-Day Normandy invasion, Operation Market Garden, and the Battle of the Bulge. After World War II, Mr. Freeman came home to Caledonia and married Louise Gurley. We are thankful for this patriotic Mississippian who proudly fought to protect the freedoms we all enjoy. 

On May 9, 2005, Private First Class (PFC) Stephen Baldwyn was critically injured in an explosion during a deployment to Iraq. This brave 19-year-old succumbed to his injuries. PFC Baldwyn's family attended the recent dedication of the Gold Star Families Memorial Monument at Tupelo Veterans Park. Gold Star families know the meaning of sacrifice. All have lost a loved-one in service to our great Nation.

Andy, Danny, Stephanie, and Drew Baldwyn

Stephanie Baldwyn, PFC Baldwyn's sister-in-law, said Stephen graduated early from Mooreville High School so he could serve his country. "Stephen was always patriotic," Stephanie said. "My mother-in-law, also named Stephanie, said that Stephen wanted to become a U.S. Marine so he could see the world." 

It is an honor to represent Mississippi's First District Gold Star Families in Washington, D.C. In October 2019, I was proud to gain the backing of my colleagues for the Sergeant First Class (SFC) Sean Cooley and Specialist (SPC) Christopher Horton Congressional Gold Star Family Fellowship Program. This initiative offers a one-year, fully-funded fellowship in a Congressional office for siblings, spouses, and children of service members who have lost their lives in the line of duty. To learn more, please contact our field representatives.

On October 12th, America recognized National Farmers Day. This was an opportunity to show our appreciation for Mississippi's First District farmers who are in the midst of the harvest season. Keith and Rita Coleman, along with their children Christy, Clint, and Cody, operate Circle C Farms in Corinth. They grow soybeans, cotton, corn, wheat, milo and rye grass on 6,500 acres of land in Alcorn County, Mississippi, and portions of Tennessee. 

Approximately six years ago, Clint said the family decided to grow rye grass for hay and to sell the surplus as feed for cows. Circle C Farms has approximately 120 cow-calf pairs.  

In addition to her role as the Coleman family bookkeeper, Christy farms 1,100 acres of land with her husband, Rodney Rollins. Both Keith and Rodney are fourth-generation farmers.

Recently, Rodney began the process of defoliating their cotton crop to prepare it for the upcoming harvest. It's been a challenging two months due to the lack of rain. Rising input prices make all their crops more expensive to produce. "You manage the best that you can," Christy said. "We don't have much control over the cost of our inputs. We are at the mercy of the commodity market on what we get paid for the crops we are selling." 

We are thankful for these families and all First District farmers for the pivotal role they play in Mississippi's agriculture industry. As a member of the House Agriculture Committee, I make it a top priority to listen to the thoughts and concerns of our farmers. Their input is essential as we continue our work on the forthcoming Farm Bill.

Annually, the U.S. House of Representatives organizes the Congressional App Challenge (CAC) for middle and high school students. The competition aims to inspire young people to learn to code and to pursue careers in computer science. To register, please click HERE. For more information, contact Melinda Whited at (662) 687-1525 or via email at [email protected].

Mississippi's 2022 First District Congressional App Challenge winner was Isaac Chamorro, an 11th grade student at Oxford High School. He designed the app called "Nutrate" to help users track their meals and nutritional intake. 

Mississippi Catfish Farmers representatives Katy Prosser, Ben Pentecost, Shorty Jones, Bobby Jones, Blair Jones, and Amy Prosser