Dec 16, 2024

Lack of congressional grower aid action alarms Farm Bureau

A lack of congressional action to help farmers is driving the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) to call for action.

In a Dec. 14 news releases, the Washington, D.C.-based AFBF expressed disappointment that Congress appears to be turning “a blind eye” to the agricultural recession in its year-end supplemental legislation.

Zippy Duvall, AFBF president, calls on farm state members to oppose the bill if economic aid for farmers is missing.

“At a time when farm income is in a downward spiral and costs are rising, it’s unacceptable for Congress to turn its back on farmers,” Duvall said in the release. “Farmers don’t get to set the prices for their goods and right now those prices don’t even come close to covering their costs. We lost 141,000 farms in five years and if Congress fails to include economic aid for farmers, the sad reality is that we’ll lose more.”

Duvall warns how growers won’t be the only ones suffering.

“Our whole country will suffer the consequences if Congress takes farmers and our food supply for granted,” Duvall said in the release. “For this reason, I call on members of Congress who represent agriculture to stand with farmers by insisting the supplemental spending bill include economic aid for farmers and voting it down if it doesn’t. In truth, every elected leader who enjoys our affordable and abundant food supply represents agriculture, so I urge them to band together and ensure farmers are supported.”

AFBF referenced polls that show broad public support for farmers.

“Nearly 80% of Americans believe lawmakers should prioritize legislation that supports farmers and ranchers so it’s just plain unacceptable that our elected leaders are considering putting politics first,” Duvall said in the release. “I hope reasonable members of Congress take a stand for the good folks who stock their pantries.”

Touting itself as a voice of agriculture, the American Farm Bureau Federation is a leading grassroots membership organization advocating for farmers, ranchers and rural communities. The organization represents 6 million member families in 2,800 county Farm Bureaus and 50 states plus Puerto Rico.