Porterfield: New Green Deal Should Serve As A Wake Up Call

The New Green Deal proposed in Washington D.C. earlier this year frustrated, and even angered many in the Ag community.  Kady Porterfield President of Washington Cattlewomen said those who don’t live on a farm forget that ranchers and growers are the original environmentalists.  For example, she notes the American beef industry today produces the same amount of red meat as 40 years ago with 33% fewer cattle.  She said since the Ag industry as a whole only represents 2% of the overall population, the farming industry an easy target for lawmakers.

“Beef producers and livestock people is even less than that [percentage of the general population] so it’s easy to target the little people with not as much power rather than target things like bigger cities who really are really, I think, the biggest issues, when it comes to things like pollution and things like that.”

Porterfield noted the EPA’s recent figures which point out that the agriculture industry was responsible for 9% of greenhouse gas emissions reported in 2017.  She says she has no doubt the New Green Deal, or other similar proposals, will come up again.

“We need to be ready, we need to tell our story, and you know the thing is, we want lawmakers and policy people to know we want to be part of the solution.  We just want to be brought to the table to be part of the discussions.  Don’t dismiss us and start putting out regulations without bringing us to the table and letting us help them come up with solutions.  Even if it means us getting better, there are a lot of ways we’re going to have a say in that.”

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