Ag groups congratulate, pledge to work with Biden

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Ag groups congratulate, pledge to work with Biden

Several ag groups have congratulated President-Elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris while offering to work with the new administration.

National Farmers Union President Rob Larew tells Brownfield Ag News many of Biden’s priorities on the campaign trail are in line with NFU priorities. While many in rural America voted for President Trump, Larew says the work needed to help agriculture would be the same for either candidate, “Regardless of a candidate they chose we know what the issues are, right? There’s a lot of concern at the farm level about what the future holds.”

American Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall says President-elect Biden will be presented with opportunities to improve the lives of rural Americans, and in a Facebook video message, said now is the time for strong leadership. “Our farmers need more trade. We need to complete the broadband grid across America. We need to fix our farm labor problems. And, yes, we need a strong farm bill.”

The National Pork Producers Council president AV Roth of Wisconsin says they’re hopeful for the enormous opportunity for the US to participate in the CPTPP trade agreement.  By joining the agreement, formerly the Trans Pacific Partnership that the U.S. was a part of before President Trump withdrew from it, Roth says it would level the playing field for US pork with some of the largest pork-consuming nations in the world.   

Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor says Biden and Harris campaigned and won on a promise to promote ethanol and other biofuels. She says biofuels are the most affordable and effective solution available now to decarbonize the transportation sector and rebuild America’s ag supply chain. Skor says the new administration must harness biofuels benefits by strengthening the Renewable Fuel Standard.

Interview Saturday, November 6, 2020 with NFU President Rob Larew:

Brownfield’s Meghan Grebner contributed to this report~

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