As lawmakers in Washington focus on the debt ceiling and federal spending, there are concerns about the direction and funding for this year?s new federal farm bill, as the current farm bill is set expire in late September. Bradley Schad, CEO of Missouri Corn ? which is part of the National Corn Growers Association, said farm groups are pushing lawmakers to keep them from taking money away from crop insurance programs.
?They cannot tinker with that,? Schad said. ?That is the most important thing that our farmers use to make sure that they can be made whole because we?re dealing with weather, and we have no control over that. It?s out of anybody?s hands. We have to make sure that the crop insurance stays intact ? at least at its current level. There are going to be people that try and take money away from that, but I feel pretty confident that we?ve got enough of a coalition and it?s important for food security reasons to make sure that that is made whole.?
Schad said another key component of this year?s farm bill is the Foreign Market Development Program.
?That gives us opportunities to export our corn overseas,? Schad said. ?We have offices around the world with our partners with the U.S. Grains Council. That funding is very important. We need that to expand because of all the trade issues that are going on. We?re also looking at conservation programs making sure that we?re environmentally sustainable and making sure that we have the ability to use those programs to better our environmental footprint across the board.?
Schad added that every farmer should get involved so lawmakers understand what?s at stake with this year?s legislation.
?Reach out to your membership associations and make sure that you?re a part of that,? Schad said. ?They have contacts out in Washington, D.C. who they?re talking with regularly. If you have a personal relationship with your U.S. Senator or Representative, reach out to them and make sure that they know how important this farm bill is and getting that passed. The more voices we have together, the better off we?re going to be.?
For more information, visit ncga.com.
