With just over two weeks left until the current Farm Bill expires, the legislation is a hot topic at this year’s National Farmers Union Fall Legislative Fly-In.
The Vice President of the Minnesota Farmers Union Anne Schwagerl shared the group’s priorities for their time in Washington on Tuesday. The Farm Bill is at the very top of that list.
“We want to see a strong competition title in the Farm Bill this year — the Farm Bill obviously being the top of the priority list, Schwagerl said. “We want to have not just a Farm Bill done this year, but one that’s done right, and part of that means leveling the playing field for family farmers across the country.
The group is also prioritizing discussions with lawmakers that center around the growing consolidation and competition happening within the agricultural industry, which she attributes in part to climate resilience.
“It’s hard to talk about climate resilience without talking about consolidation in agriculture, and I feel like every topic kind of comes back to competition,” Schwagerl continued. “I’m no lobbyist, obviously. I’m just a farmer, but I think we have very real stories to tell that kind of illuminates what’s happening on the ground across the country and rural communities.”
Schwagerl also explained what the National Farmers Union is doing to raise awareness about competition in ag, which is shrinking the number of people who make their living off the land.
“A couple of years ago, the National Farmers Union launched the fairness for farmers campaign to raise awareness for folks about the kind of competition issues that are happening all across the country,” she said. “Consolidation is driving people off the landscape and producers off the land. We want to reverse that trend, and we want to make sure there are actually more farmers across the country, raising the food — the fuel and the fiber that we rely on.”
Another focus point for the group is making sure there are adequate childcare centers in rural communities for family farmers.
