Lawmakers Hear How The Farm Bill Impacts Farmers

Farm bill arguments have come in all shapes and sizes the past year, but sometimes it’s the human one that hits a chord; and it appears that is what happened during a recent House Ag Committee hearing.  GreenPoint Retail Senior Vice President Joey Caldwell told House Ag lawmakers that farming is unlike any profession.

"When a farmer plants a crop, they put more than just their job at risk. Their farm is their home, their livelihood, and a pillar in their community. For many, it is also their family legacy, something passed down to them over the generations that they hope to pass down to their kids.” 

Without the certainty a new farm bill provides, Caldwell told lawmakers on behalf of the Agricultural Retailers Association that the risk could become too great.

“Eventually putting farmers and rural communities where they live in dire straits. We’re facing rapidly declining commodity prices and inflation that have driven up the expenses of farm equipment and farm inputs. Farm incomes are off nearly 50 percent from the last two years.” 

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