(WASHINGTON D.C.) — Extending current tax policy and getting a new Farm Bill done were two of the key priorities expressed by members of the Missouri Farm Bureau on Capitol Hill last week.
Over 80 MOFB members and staff visited Washington D.C. to take part in the annual MOFB D.C. “Fly-in”, meeting with members of Congress, administrators and policy experts to discuss key priorities for the organization. Garrett Hawkins, President of the Missouri Farm Bureau, says that renewing key tax provisions for producers and getting a strong Farm Bill are at the top of MOFB’s list of priorities.
“Well, I mean, clearly tax policy is front and center,” says Hawkins. “The end of this year will be the expiration of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that passed in 2017. There are key provisions in that law that need to be extended, and so that is front and center. That plays into all of the budget discussions that are happening on Capitol Hill and clearly is a priority for President Trump. So we want folks to know that agriculture needs and deserves a seat at the table by the nature of who we represent and common sense tax policy.”
The current state of the farm economy is a key reason why getting a new five-year Farm Bill done is crucial, according to Hawkins. “The other piece, when you think about the farm at home, it’s clearly the economy that we face,” said Hawkins. “You know, it’s a tough time for almost all segments of agriculture. Now, I’m a Cow-Calf producer, and I’m enjoying where we’re at right now, but that doesn’t mean that our inputs are affordable or anything. So as you think about it, we have seen the last two years steep declines in net farm income, but inputs haven’t gone down.”
Hawkins added that “Everything that we touch is higher. So we’re getting squeezed. You know, we are pleased to hear USDA and their commitment to getting out the ag disaster and economic assistance that was approved in December by Congress. But here’s the deal. Like you heard from the farm economists yesterday, when we talked to Dr. John Newton from Terrain, ad hoc assistance doesn’t cut it. It may help, but it is no substitute for a long term farm bill that we’re now two years overdue.”
In terms of a new Farm Bill, Hawkins stressed that MOFB members were reminding members of Congress that the world has changed since the 2018 Farm Bill was enacted including going through a global pandemic, supply chains getting upended and a rapid rise in inflation that is impacting the farm and ranch.
“And we’re hoping that while the agenda is full this year for Congress, we’re hoping and and advocating for whatever window of opportunity is presented. Go and get a new farm bill in place,” said Hawkins.
Hawkins also mentioned another priority of MOFB members on Capitol Hill last week was getting back to what he calls “common-sense energy policy.”
“You know, the other piece of this is getting back to common-sense energy policy,” says Hawkins. “And clearly energy is fundamental, underpins everything that we do in the U.S. economy, including in agriculture. So seeing that this President from day one is focused on getting our nation back to the fundamentals of producing energy and taking an all-of-above approach to energy in this country is a good thing. So as you have affordable, reliable energy, that also makes a difference for what we do in production agriculture.”
Hear our full conversation with Missouri Farm Bureau President Garrett Hawkins, discussing these topics along with tariffs and state issues like the Grain Belt Express energy project, on the Friday episode of Agriculture of America (AOA) linked below. The conversation starts at about the 21:00 minute mark of the podcast.
