By Jennifer Dorsett
Field Editor
A whitepaper from the Agriculture CEO Council provided to both presidential candidates attempts to explain the concerns and challenges of farmers, ranchers and rural Americans.
The briefing offers an overview of the U.S. farm economy and highlights 10 priority legislative issues supported by the council- members.
America’s farm economy is “poor and deteriorating,” according to the 12-page paper, which lists trade retaliation, non-trade barriers, foreign currency devaluations and foreign subsidies, among other issues, as factors contributing to the current economic climate.
COVID-19’s impact on food supply chains, lack of access to rural broadband, farm labor shortages and regulatory disruptions to crop protection tools were also listed.
Ten policy priorities can help reinvigorate and protect the agricultural sector, according to the council’s briefing.
Increased access to COVID-19 testing and personal protection equipment (PPE), along with the development of a vaccine, is essential for agribusinesses to continue operating effectively now and in the event of future pandemics, the group said.
Other major concerns to be addressed during the next presidential term include farm policy, trade agreements, biofuels, widespread rural broadband access, labor issues, rural infrastructure and what the paper termed “sustainability and climate,” reminding candidates agriculture has already made big strides in achieving sustainability goals.
“Agriculture accounts for less than 10 percent of total U.S. emissions, far less than transportation, electricity generation and industry sectors,” the document states. “Farmers continue to produce more with greater efficiency. In fact, U.S. agriculture would have needed nearly 100 million more acres in 1990 to match 2018 production levels.”
The council says American agriculture needs “regulatory predictability, consistency and reliability for our federal, state and local governments,” concluding “science and databased regulation, subject to the laws passed by Congress and tempered by cost/benefit analysis and common sense, are essential for healthy food systems.”
The Agriculture CEO Council is comprised of 21 CEOs of major farm, commodity and agribusiness organizations, including the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF).
AFBF President Zippy Duvall is co-chair of the council.
While the council and its member organizations do not endorse presidential candidates, they can serve as a valuable resource for discussion of key issues to agriculture and rural America.
Click here to view the full report.