Farm leaders urged lawmakers to work quickly to include additional aid for farmers and language aimed at allowing year-round use of 15% ethanol blended gasoline, or E15, in appropriations bills being drafted this month.
“Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle have assured us in recent weeks that they recognize more aid is needed to keep our food supply strong, which requires a strong agricultural sector,” said American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall, in a statement. “Many have also voiced strong support for approving year-round E15 fuel, which would be a win-win for consumers and farmers by reducing the price of fuel at the pump while increasing demand for both corn and sorghum.
“The target for months has been to include both priorities in the government funding package. So, it was a shock to see bill text proposed by the House that includes neither,” Duvall wrote. “There is still time. Congress must act.”
Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance leaders also expressed disappointment, and were still chafing after aid announced last year allotted just $1 billion out of a $12 billion package to specialty crops. Details on specialty-crop payments are still awaited.
Alliance co-chair Cathy Burns of the International Fresh Produce Association told Brownfield Ag Network that last year’s package should have set aside no less than a third of funds for specialty crop producers. “Specialty crops account for one-third of crop sales in the U.S., and we have the same harmful headwinds that the rest of agriculture is experiencing,” Burns said.
She told the radio network that $5 billion in relief would help alleviate some of the unprecedented economic challenges facing growers from labor, input costs, lost markets, and unfair competition from competitors.
