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Farm bill priorities outlined during Farmfest forum
Leaders of several farm groups expressed the need to maintain funding for the next farm bill during the first day of Minnesota Farmfest.
American Farm Bureau vice president Scot VanderWal took part in a farm bill forum Tuesday afternoon and talked about some of AFBF’s priorities.
“Certainly (one would be) to hold the funding together from the last farm bill. I know some groups are asking for more money (but) “that’s certainly going to be a challenge as we look at where Congress is with funding on various things and the bill that have already been passed.”
National Farmers Union president Rob Larew cautioned lawmakers not to write a farm bill based on current economic conditions.
“So I think as we talk about how much money should go into this farm bill (and) what it should look like, making sure that we are focused on a program that is going to truly be able to cover us and provide a safety net for the next five to six years. How much change and disruption have we seen over the last just few years.”
Larew points to the pandemic, a trade war, and the invasion of Ukraine as recent examples of why the next farm bill needs to be prepared for major disruptions.
