Mississippi Land Bank borrowers Matthew and Kayla Poe of Pontotoc took their interests in agriculture to Capitol Hill on June 22.

As participants in the 2023 Farm Credit Young Leaders Program, the couple met with Congressman Trent Kelly and staff on their Hill visits.

The Poes were selected by Mississippi Land Bank to participate in the Young Leaders program, hosted by the Tenth District Farm Credit Council. The four-day event recognizes and rewards young Farm Credit stockholders for outstanding leadership and involvement in the agriculture industry, and teaches them about the Farm Credit System, the legislative process and the nation’s financial markets. 

This year’s program took 27 young emerging leaders and Farm Credit borrowers from Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico and Texas to the nation’s political and financial centers, Washington, D.C., and New York City. There, they met with Farm Credit, USDA and elected officials to discuss loan programs and policies that affect the country’s farmers and ranchers. 

Besides visiting Capitol Hill, participants also gained an inside perspective and behind-the-scenes look at the nation’s largest source of financing for agriculture and rural America. During a visit to the Federal Farm Credit Banks Funding Corporation, they learned how investors purchase highly rated Farm Credit notes and bonds, supplying steady funding for loans and related services. 

Poe and his uncle are full-time row crop farmers in Northeast Mississippi, overseeing thousands of acres. In addition to farming, the family manages a family trucking operation and rental properties.