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American Sugarbeet Growers Association wants better safety net in next farm bill
The American Sugarbeet Growers Association is looking for a better safety net in the next farm bill.
ASGA president Nate Hultgren of Raymond in west-central Minnesota tells Brownfield the federal sugar program needs to be modernized.
“We’re dealing with some 1980’s-type pricing on things like loan guarantees, support prices, and it’s just not really realistic for farmers anymore to use those tools. If they’re going to have them in the farm bill, they should update them to something that will actually help farmers when they need (the help).”
He says beet growers aren’t asking for a government handout.
“We don’t even really want insurance money, we’d rather have a good crop. But when those times do come, because you’re going to have those valleys, those programs should be enough to make farmers still viable (so) that they don’t go out of business at those times, those valleys.”
Hultgren says a strong safety net helps secure the nation’s food supply and points out sugar has consistently been on grocery store shelves throughout the pandemic.
