Farm Leaders Weigh In on Farm Bill Payments and New Trade

Farm Leaders Weigh In on Farm Bill Payments and New Trade

During the House Ag Committee's Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management held earlier this week. Members heard from producers who discussed the a variety of farm topics to help set the stage for the next farm bill.

When it comes to ARC and PLC programs' needed tweaks farm leaders mentioned that reduce the year to 18 months farmers to have to wait to get farm program payments for the previous year's crop.National Association of Wheat Growers President David Schemm said

Schemm: "Current timing of assistance affects my ability to get credit.

He explained that when farmers apply in the winter or spring for operating loans, bankers won't take into consideration cash flow from payments that won't eve be quantified or paid for another year.

Another suggestion is using more local data for calculating yield and production costs. Also producers asked for grazing crop reference prices which trigger program prices.

Trade was another topic of discussion at the hearing. Demand for our country's ag products is critical says National Corn Growers President Wesley Spurlock

Spurlock: "We need our new administration as they go in to work and rewrite NAFTA and bring it to a newer level. We need that trade. We need to be out there talking to Japan, Korea, to the world to improve these deals and move this demands at that level."

Officials have promised agriculture will be a major player in any new trade agreements.

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