AFBF Joins Over 50 Groups Sending a Letter Outlining Farmer Difficulties
Brian Glenn
Director, Government Affairs
Chad Smith
Associate News Service Editor, NAFB
photo credit: AFBF Photo, Dylan Davidson
Brian Glenn
Director, Government Affairs
Chad Smith
Associate News Service Editor, NAFB
Over 50 agricultural groups and organizations sent a letter to the White House outlining the struggles of American farmers and ranchers. Chad Smith has details.
Smith: With pressures on the farm economy continuing to add up, a total of 54 food and agriculture groups are urging the Trump administration to act. The American Farm Bureau Federation was one of those groups, and director of government affairs Brian Glenn said a letter sent to the White House outlined the factors causing stress in rural America.
Glenn: Severe weather, high expenses, and global uncertainty are hitting farmers from all sides right now. The recent closure of the Strait of Hormuz and its impact on fertilizer and fuel prices only worsened the financial strain farmers face, and it poses significant consequences for the food supply chain in America and around the world.
Smith: As the administration considers a supplemental defense spending bill, the American Farm Bureau and 53 other organizations want funds included for market relief for farmers.
Glenn: This relief should build on the $11 billion Farmer Bridge Assistance program payments for row crops, and should include meaningful support for all specialty crop, sugar, and alfalfa growers, as well as assistance for farmers and ranchers dealing with catastrophic weather events across the country.
Smith: The letter also includes policy suggestions like year-round E15 and tax breaks to encourage domestic consumption of agricultural products. The supplemental defense bill should come up in the next few weeks.
Glenn: Food security is truly national security, and this should be recognized in this package as well. We will be closely monitoring momentum in Congress as they assemble this package, and farmers should continue to stay engaged and share their voice about the pressure they are under, given the severe weather, the high expenses that they're incurring.
Smith: Learn more at fb.org/news. Chad Smith, Washington.
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