Renew Farm Bill Pressure and Fertilizer Prices Too High
From the Ag Information Network, I’m Bob Larson with your Agribusiness Update.
**Lawmakers on Capitol Hill returned from the Easter recess with growing optimism that a new five-year farm bill could soon advance.
Agri-Pulse reports Senate Ag Committee Chair John Boozman signaled progress.
The Arkansas Senator expects movement within weeks rather than months and anticipates a markup soon.
The bill cleared the House Ag Committee in March with bipartisan support.
It now awaits consideration on the House floor, possibly as early as this month.
**The U.S. Justice Department is continuing to investigate the high costs for fertilizer, machinery, and other farm inputs and, according to Bloomberg, the administration is looking for input from farmers.
USDA Deputy Secretary Stephen Vaden has open lines of communication with the Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission and knows farmers have a lot of relevant information.
Vaden says they want farmers to provide help on a confidential basis.
**An overwhelming majority of U.S. farmers say rising fertilizer costs are limiting their ability to operate this season, according to an American Farm Bureau Federation survey.
The survey found that 70% of respondents cannot afford to purchase all the fertilizer they need for the year.
Nearly 80% of farmers in the South reported being unable to afford sufficient supplies, 69% in the Northeast, 66% in the West, and 48% in the Midwest.
