The Zipline: Good agricultural policy, good for the country

It’s a new day. No more campaign text messages. No more political ads. We open a new chapter and prepare for a new dialogue with a new Congress and new president come January.

In full disclosure, I’m writing this column before we have election results, which I realize may take days of tallying, but regardless, we can set our sights on some basic truths.

Wherever this day morning finds you, whatever your job may be, we all rely on U.S. agriculture.

Whether or not you gave agricultural policy much thought when you filled out your ballot this election, you can be sure that the policy affecting America’s farms and ranches will have an impact on you, your family and the nation.

Farmers are a slim percentage of the population at just 2%, but our work is critical to the security and well-being of 100% of our nation.

Food Security

Farming is tough under the best circumstances, and as we all know, life rarely comes at us with only the best circumstances.

When a storm whips through, markets take a downward turn, or costs and regulatory burdens pile up, farmers and ranchers need sound policy that helps them hang on from one season to the next.

Our nation has a long history of prioritizing policies and programs that keep our nation’s food supply stable.

Going all the way back to World War II, in fact, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt called on farmers to continue their patriotic duty of growing food for our nation and allies.

Through our greatest hardships as a country, one of our greatest strengths has been, and continues to be, our ability to grow our own food, fiber and renewable fuel.

But that ability is only as strong as the policies that ensure farmers have the tools they need to stay in business, reinvest in their farms, hire skilled workers and keep their farms running from one generation to the next.

Sustainability

America’s farmers and ranchers lead the world in climate-smart practices, with our overall greenhouse gas emissions around just 10% of total U.S. emissions. We are growing more with less thanks to innovation and technology that help us conserve resources and keep the soil healthy.

Farmers are caretakers of the land, preserving green spaces, providing wildlife habitats and managing forest land. This means farmers are not only growing the products we all rely on, but they’re also playing a role in absorbing carbon and reducing emissions.

We need to see policy changes that treat farmers as partners in sustainability and promote voluntary, incentive-based programs to take farmland conservation to the next level.

Farmers want to keep their land healthy and ready for production for the next generation, and we need policies and programs that give us the flexibility to make the best decisions for the health of our farms and ranches.

Our Economy

When we talk about sustainability in agriculture, we also mean economic sustainability. Did you know that agriculture supports more than 48 million jobs in the United States?

Farmers and ranchers are growing more than the food for Americans’ pantries — they are growing jobs right here on our soil.

That also means there can be a ripple effect when a farm goes out of business. It is not only heartbreaking for the farm family, but also worrisome for those relying on that farm business.

The impact starts locally, maybe with their suppliers like the local feed store and equipment dealer. Even if one farm doesn’t ripple far, what about a hundred? A thousand?

Over a five-year-span, we lost more than 140,000 farms in the United States, per the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 2022 Census of Agriculture. We need policy changes that work to reverse this trend and ensure economic resilience for farm businesses today, as well as for the next generation.

Millions of Americans are counting on us. Fewer farms mean fewer jobs, and even higher costs at the grocery store.

Helping family farms stay in business begins with sound agricultural policy. It begins with each of us understanding how critical agriculture is to our nation, and then calling on our leaders to make agriculture a top priority.

I can also say with certainty that our elected leaders will need to make agriculture a top priority as we wrap up 2024.

Even as we prepare for new political dynamics in January, we are urging lawmakers to address important and consequential priorities before closing out this year and this Congress.

From passing a five-year farm bill to mitigating the impacts of the current farm labor crisis, much work needs to be done and we know the election results will have a big impact on the will of Congress to act.

Whomever you voted for in this election, whether your candidates won or lost, whether your party is in the minority or majority, we can all agree on the importance of keeping our food supply secure.

At the American Farm Bureau Federation, we unite around our goal to strengthen agriculture and support our communities.

Whatever today holds, I am confident we will continue this work as we drive forward for our farms, our communities and our country.