WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) and his staff received awards for their leadership on issues important to wheat producers from the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) and the Kansas Association of Wheat Growers.

“I am honored to be recognized for our efforts on behalf of wheat growers,” said Roberts. “We work hard every day to ensure our farmers have the tools they need to meet the increasing demands of a global economy. Sometimes this involves getting the federal government out of the way. I look forward to another year with our sleeves rolled up as we consider the next Farm Bill and what it means for producers.”

Sen. Roberts received the Wheat Advocate Award given annually to members of Congress who have demonstrated support for the wheat industry above and beyond the norm.

Mike Seyfert, Republican Staff Director for the Senate Agriculture Committee, and Ryan Flickner, Sen. Roberts’ Senior Agriculture Policy Advisor, both received the Friend of Wheat Award given annually to congressional staff members who have demonstrated support for the wheat industry above and beyond the norm.

Sen. Roberts is Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry. He is the first member of Congress to also serve as both the Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee and as Ranking Member on the Senate Committee.

Seyfert, of Ada, Kansas, was raised on the wheat, soybean, alfalfa and cattle farm operated by his family for more than a century. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from Kansas State University and holds a Master=s Degree in Public Administration from The George Washington University. Seyfert has served Sen. Roberts for nearly 15 years.

Flickner, of Wichita, Kansas, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Agronomy and Natural Resources from Kansas State University. Flickner spends time on his parents= diversified family farm near Moundridge, Kansas. He has worked in the Washington office of Sen. Roberts since May 2007.

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