Senate Ag Looks At Struggles Of Beginning Farmers

This week, the Senate Agriculture Committee held a hearing on potential Farm Bill tweaks that could assist beginning farmers at the start of their operations.

Christian Good, Macon, MS: “The lack of meaningful safety net that our current farm bill provides is a real concern for farmers in my community. The farm generally participates in Price Loss Coverage PLC program provided by the USDA Farm Service Agency. Designed to provide a price for that, we receive the statutory reference prices in the 2018 farm Bill are so outdated that I can confidently say that if I were to receive those prices for corn and for soybeans, my farm and my family's farm would be out of business. 

Senator Raphael Warnock, D- GA: “How important that base acres to commodity farmers. And and why are they more difficult to obtain?”

Christian Good, Macon, MS: “So when you look at title one and title 11, I think they work in tandem, not against each other. I think crop insurance is vitally important. And then I think a, a, a base acre having a strong base acre and reference prices to make that base acre meaningful is really important.” 

Tessa Parks, Northfield, MN: “We know that crop insurance is an important risk management tool for many farmers, but it's been difficult to find the right fit for our farm. We've kept records for several years to prepare to purchase a whole farm revenue protection policy, but it still doesn't work for us. The inclusion in Chairwoman Stabenow, his farm bill framework of additional options in the Non Insured Crop Disaster Assistance Program. Now, including through a whole farm concept, is encouraging, but more must be done to ensure all types of farms, especially smaller and more diversified farms, can access affordable crop insurance. 

For Market to Market, I’m Peter Tubbs

contact: Peter.Tubbs@iowapbs.org