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AFBF President Offers Solutions to Senate Ag Committee

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Congress Advocacy Farm Economy E15 Farm Labor Trade

Zippy Duvall

President

Chad Smith

Associate News Service Editor, NAFB

photo credit: AFBF Photo, Philip Gerlach

Zippy Duvall

President

Chad Smith

Associate News Service Editor, NAFB

American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall testified before the Senate Ag Committee on Tuesday. Chad Smith has details on the issues discussed.

Smith: As farmers and ranchers continue to grapple with a difficult farm economy, the Senate Agriculture Committee recently held a hearing to discuss solutions. American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall was one of the experts to present testimony 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.
Smith: Duvall said that there are several policy levers 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.
Smith: He said the hearing presented a great opportunity to look at the entire agricultural economy.
Duvall: Concerns about fertilizer shortages were also discussed, and the potential of that issue to further limit farmers’ ability to feed our nation. 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.
Smith: For more information, go to fb.org. Chad Smith, Washington.

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