Tracey Mann: Fellow Kansan
July 29, 2025
Fellow Kansan,
Thank you for subscribing to my newsletter. The U.S. House of Representatives is back in session for another week of votes, committee hearings, and floor activity. For more information on what I'm working on this week, be sure to follow me on social media.
I do not serve in Congress to be a caretaker in the slow demise of America— I serve to fight and work to make it stronger. That’s what I am doing while believing our brightest days are yet to come.
Yours in service,
Tracey Mann
Securing our border
The most recent data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection shows that America’s borders are the safest they’ve been in decades. President Trump is the border security president, and the numbers prove it: zero illegal migrant releases in June and the lowest number of daily apprehensions in agency history. President Trump and Congressional Republicans are delivering on the mandate 77 million Americans gave Washington, D.C., on November 5th —securing the border, enforcing the law, and restoring safety and order across the country. Promises made, promises kept.
Examining the Harmful Impact of California's Prop 12
Last week, I participated in a House Agriculture Committee hearing on California’s Proposition 12. While states have the right to govern within their borders, one state's policies should not dictate how livestock, poultry, and swine farmers across the country raise their animals. California’s Prop 12 threatens the livelihoods of Kansas hog farmers and sets a dangerous precedent for interstate commerce. Overreaching policies like Prop 12 that are not rooted in science have the potential to jeopardize our agricultural community's ability to effectively feed, fuel, and clothe the world, and we cannot allow Kansas to be governed by these types of one-size-fits-California mandates.
Strengthening American Agricultural Supply Chain
Successfully feeding, clothing, and fueling the world doesn’t stop when crops are harvested. The entire agriculture supply chain relies on timely and reliable delivery every step of the way from production to consumption. If our nation’s farmers, ranchers, and agricultural producers can’t access the machinery they need to operate their farms or transport their products to storage, it would be impossible for them to fulfill their calling or deliver products to consumers.
Last week, I introduced the Seasonal Agriculture CDL Modernization Act, which strengthens the entire agricultural supply chain by enacting commonsense reforms that make it easier for farm-service drivers to do their jobs and serve customers and consumers. Food security is national security, and we must retain it by removing unnecessary regulatory burdens for our agricultural economy.
Removing red tape
Mann in the News
- RFD-TV: Champions of Rural America: Rep. Tracey Mann speaks about how his rural roots guide him in Congress
- Topeka Capital-Journal: Why Big First congressman says Big Beautiful Bill is a win for Kansas agriculture
- CDL Life: New legislation seeks to cut red tape for seasonal agriculture CDL holders
Military Academy Applications
Each year, I have the honor of nominating select students from the Big First District to join the ranks of the best and brightest in our nation’s service academies. If you or someone you know is interested in attending a U.S. Service Academy, my office is currently accepting military nomination applications through September 29, 2025. For eligibility requirements and to apply, visit my website.
Nomination Page
Honoring a Kansas Ag Hero
Craig Polson has spent his life serving his country—first in the Navy, and then through decades of work in Kansas agriculture.
Raised in Marshall County, Craig grew up helping his father work the land and feed cattle. His dad ran a feedyard with over 1,000 head, one of the first in the area to change to new “top planting” equipment and techniques, and was early in testing new grass and weed control chemicals. The Polson Farm was also one of the first in the area to introduce grain sorghum after many disappointing drought years with earlier genetics of corn.
Across the world, millions of Americans were serving in Vietnam to defend the values and freedoms that allowed Craig and his father to make a living in farming. His dad’s willingness to lead and try new things on the farm left an impression on him, and despite the ongoing war, led 17-year-old Craig to enlist in the U.S. Navy and answer the call to serve.
During his time in the Navy, Craig was first stationed at Great Lakes, Illinois, where he completed Boot Camp, Basic Electronics School, and then Weapons Radar School. Craig was then given orders to report to the USS Hancock CVA-19, an attack aircraft carrier stationed in Alameda, California. The morning after he reported aboard, the ship left for a nearly 10-month-long deployment to the Gulf of Tonkin. The carrier was doing flight operations and coastal patrol in the waters off the coast of Vietnam.
It was during this time at sea that he submitted a sealed bid on 160 acres of farmland he had rented since he was a sophomore in high school. The bid was accepted, and from the other side of the world, Craig had become a landowner in Kansas. That land became the foundation of his farming career and the beginning of a life defined by commitment, perseverance, and leadership.
After returning to Kansas, Craig earned a degree in agronomy from Kansas State University while simultaneously farming and serving in the Navy Reserves. In the decades that followed, he grew wheat, soybeans, milo, and later corn. He launched a crop insurance business and a successful commercial pheasant hunting operation on more than 1,200 contiguous acres. Together with his wife Linda, who handled bookkeeping and meals for guests, Craig built a diversified operation grounded in hard work and family values. He retired from the Navy in 1996 with over 21 years of service.
Craig’s service didn’t end with the land he worked. In 1988, he was appointed to the Kansas Grain Sorghum Commission, where he later served as chairman. He directed sorghum checkoff dollars, much of which was directed toward research at Kansas State. During this period, he also served on the Advisory Board of the Kansas State International Grains Program. He was then appointed to the board of directors of the U.S. Feed Grains Council in our nation’s capital. While in this capacity, Craig was appointed to the International Market Development Committee of the Council and chaired that committee for two years. He traveled to several different parts of the world on trade missions, including many countries within the Soviet Union, to build or strengthen trade relationships and help countries improve livestock nutrition by utilizing U.S grain. One of his major achievements was a long-term feeding project in Egypt for domestic water buffalo that dramatically improved animal growth rate, meat quality, and local food security.
Today, Craig remains deeply connected to the agricultural community. He has served on boards and committees within his church as well as local veterans organizations. Although retired from the daily farming operation, he works on conservation efforts on his land and continues to help with the harvesting alongside his two cousins, who rent his and Linda’s cropland. The Polsons raised five children. Four of them hold degrees from Kansas State University. Craig and Linda now enjoy landscaping, hobbies, and time with their growing family, including three grandchildren.
Craig Polson has served his country in two distinct and lasting ways: first in uniform, and then as a farmer, leader, and advocate for American agriculture. His life stands as a testament to the values that make rural Kansas strong: service, stewardship, freedom, and the steady hand of someone who always showed up when it mattered. That life testament makes him this month’s Kansas Ag Hero.
Thank you, Craig, for your leadership, your lifetime of service, and the example you set for Kansas agriculture. It is an honor to serve you in Congress and represent you in the Big First District.
Meetings of the Week
It was great to catch up with Kansans in Washington last week, including leaders from National Beef, the Farm Journal Foundation, the Kansas Council on Developmental Disabilities, and K-State Truman Scholar Adelaide Easter. I always appreciate hearing directly from Kansans working to grow food, serve their communities, and shape the future of our state. Thanks for the meetings!
Serving The Big First
As the summer season continues, many Kansas families are making travel plans, preparing for time with loved ones, or seeking assistance with federal services. My offices in Washington, D.C., and Kansas are here to help. Whether you're interested in booking a tour of the U.S. Capitol, White House, or Library of Congress, need assistance with passports or a federal agency, or want to request an American flag flown over the Capitol, we’ve got resources available.
We’re also proud to assist Kansas veterans with accessing benefits and resolving issues with the VA. You can find helpful information and request services anytime at mann.house.gov, or feel free to call one of my offices in Washington, Manhattan, or Dodge City. My team and I are here to serve you.
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