Hot-button issues in agriculture and rural America are sometimes subject to filters via message and messenger, contends Chris Gibbs.
Speaking at Online Top Producer Summit, Gibbs, Ohio farmer and president of Rural Voices USA, outlined four topics of contention.
One: The trade war has not been helpful for rural America, according to Gibbs. “Farmers and those who depend on agriculture need to speak with one voice to say that trade wars and tariffs are unacceptable because farmers are always target No. 1, and once those barriers are imposed, they’re hard to unwrap.”
Two: Gibbs insists the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will help American farmers: “This infrastructure bill invests in roads, bridges, rail systems, and waterways, as well as rural broadband.”
Further, Gibbs contends the bill “is paid for through unused COVID relief funds, bonds, and extensions of various government fees.”
Three: Biofuels are essential for playing a role in “climate transition,” Gibbs says. Presently, 40% of the U.S. corn crop is made into ethanol, and the numbers are indicative of agriculture’s heavyweight biofuel ties: “If farmers are going to going to play a meaningful role in the coming transition from fossil to renewable fuels and on to electric vehicles, it’s going to be because of the transition use of biofuels.”
“The facts are that they (electric vehicles) are not going to be adopted on the farm very soon, simply because the technology available to overcome endurance and weight hasn’t quite been perfected,” Gibbs continues. “That means that hundreds of thousands of gas and diesel burning trucks and heavy machinery will be with us for a good while and that’s where ethanol and biofuels shine.”
Four: Voting rights impact rural America, Gibbs concludes. “How many of us have seen polling locations closed and consolidated further away from your local township house, church or school...As budgets shrink and poll workers become more scarce or scared to get involved, election officials are compelled to make those consolidations.”
Gibbs urges farmers and rural Americans to demand accountability from representatives: “Hold your legislators accountable for telling you the truth, the whole truth, not just what they think you want to hear.”
You can still register for the Online Top Producer Summit, which gives you access to content through March 31. Use the code “VIRTUAL” to take 50% off your registration fee.
Read more coverage of the Top Producer Summit.
