Farm Bill Solutions AFBF
From the Ag Information Network, I’m Bob Larson. As farmers and ranchers continue to grapple with a difficult farm economy, the Senate Ag Committee recently held a hearing to discuss solutions.
American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall was one of the experts to testify before the committee and said the time is now to increase demand for homegrown food, fiber and renewable fuel …
DUVALL … “I focused on the need to increase domestic demand for agricultural products, especially in light of the historical headwinds that our farmers are facing, as well as trade disputes, and the farm labor crisis. The fact is that USDA projects farm income this year to be nearly $50 billion below the levels just a few years ago, when adjusted for inflation, and that’s unsustainable.”
Duvall said that there are several other policy levers that Congress can pull to help farmers and ranchers …
DUVALL … “Congress can help correct the structural imbalance of our food system by fixing long-term problems and also through new pathways. Long-term steps like authorizing year-round E15, modernizing our farm labor programs, and expanding access to trade markets will all help farmers get back in balance.”
Duvall says we’ve lost 175,000 farms in recent years, and we’ll lose a lot more if we can’t bring balance back to the ag economy.
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