SLOCUMB – On Thursday, Rep. Martha Roby (R-Montgomery) toured several farms within her congressional district with House Agricultural Committee chairman Rep. Mike Conaway (R-Texas). The tour was capped off with a stop at Andy Sumblin’s cotton farm south of Slocumb in Geneva County just above the Alabama-Florida state line.

Roby’s tour comes as Wiregrass farmers have expressed concerns over President Donald Trump’s trade policy, and as she is facing what some claim to be a difficult Republican runoff contest with Democrat-turned-Republican former Rep. Bobby Bright.

Conaway indicated Trump’s tough stance on trade could be what is necessary for farmers to gain long-term certainty in agriculture commodities markets plagued by alleged unfair trade practices initiated by China.

Roby didn’t seem to be entirely opposed to the use of tariffs when she told reporters gathered at the Sumblin Farm for the tour stop she still wanted to hear about the full impact of this administration’s actions on trade.

“Clearly in Alabama, the president enjoys very high approval and support,” she said. “And I think my message is that we want our constituents to be letting us know where they are on these different issues – not just agriculture, although we’ve talked about agriculture a lot today. But industry-wide, we want to hear testimonials from our folks. Our jobs in here in Alabama – to what even the conversations – the impact that they’re having as representatives in the people’s house, it’s our job to listen to our constituents and take that message back. So, I am just calling on all of the folks that I represent and the jobs that they represent express to us and give us real stories about how these conversations and negotiations could be impacting for the good or for the bad.”

“We want to hear it all, and that gives us a better understanding of where folks are,” she continued. “But again, we want the president to continue on pushing forward conservative policies that we all agree on. And as lawmakers, we have a shared conservative agenda, and we want to see these things get across the finish line. On the trade and tariff issue, it’s very important that we are hearing from the people that we represent and the impacts that some of these decisions could potentially have.”

Roby told Yellowhammer News that so far reactions have been mixed to the president’s use of tariffs.

“We’re hearing a mixed bag right now,” Roby said. “We’re hearing from folks that they feel like it’s positively impacting and then others that have concerns. So again, the specific of example that an individual or business can give to our office, the better because that’s real life. And we want to know.”

“I’ve had several conversations with constituents just this week about these very things,” she added. “In fact, at a roundtable in Eufaula just the other day, there were differing positions all around the table, and I would say for the most part conservative Republicans. We just need to make sure that we’re listening so that we can take these comments back when we go back to Washington and have conversations with the administration.”

The Trump administration has been under attack by trade groups and politicians within Alabama, mostly because of the potential impact they could have on the state’s flourishing auto manufacturing industry. Sumblin, however, sees the use of tariffs as “unsettling,” but perhaps necessary in the long run.

“As [Conaway] said, it’s unsettling,” he said. “But in the end, I think it is best for us because we already weren’t playing on a level playing field.”

“[It’ll be] maybe improved – I don’t think it’ll ever be level,” Sumblin added.

@Jeff_Poor is a graduate of Auburn University and is the editor of Breitbart TV.