A group of family farmers, ranchers and fishermen descended upon the nation's capital earlier this month to meet with members of Congress and discuss issues affecting rural Americans, including the 2012 Farm Bill, the state of the dairy industry and climate challenges.

The National Farmers Union Spring Legislative Fly-In event was attended by approximately 100 members of the agriculture industry, including representatives from the Ohio Farmers Union, according to The News-Messenger. Attendees encouraged Congress to support inventory legislation that would implement the Market-Driven Inventory System (MDIS).

"MDIS utilizes a system of farmer-owned commodity inventories, loan rates and other policy tools to help moderate both extremely low and extremely high commodity prices," a National Farmers Union (NFU) press release explained, noting that the system is designed to be helpful during a long-term market collapse.

"Congress must understand that a safety net needs to be designed and implemented that focuses on family farmers and provides assistance during difficult times," said NFU president Roger Johnson in a statement.