Senate Agriculture Committee lawmakers heard from farmers and ranchers during a farm bill hearing Tuesday. American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall shared with the committee the challenges farmers and ranchers face today.
Duvall said; “Like rising interest rates, production expenses that keeps increasing year after year, but I also told them about the opportunities ahead of us. Agriculture is doing more with less thanks to innovation and research, and our sustainability story is something that we all ought to be proud of as farmers and ranchers. Most importantly, I emphasized the need for a strong farm safety net, including crop insurance and the Farm Bill support programs and the importance of a unified farm bill that keeps nutrition programs and farm programs together.”
Duvall says there are several investments farmers and ranchers need from the farm bill.
Duvall; “We’ll need investments into agricultural research, investment in voluntary incentive-based conservation programs, and investment to ensure those facing hunger have access to nutritious food that farmers are dedicated to producing. All of these investments come through the Farm Bill. But nearly half of all of our Congress has never worked on a farm bill process before and it is more important than ever that farmers and ranchers use their voice to help Congress understand the importance of the farm bill.”
Duvall says there are several ways to stay involved in the legislative process; “I encourage all farmers and ranchers to reach out to their member of Congress to see if he or she is going to be in their area. Whether it’s a listening session or a town hall meeting, farmers need to be at those meetings and share their story of their farm. If they’re not already a Farm Bureau member I encourage them to join us at our county level and get involved in the grassroots policy making process. That is time well spent as a farmer.”
Learn more at fb.org/advocacy.