Iowa’s agriculture is mission critical to our economy and rural communities, as well as the global energy and food supply. This is why we are fighting for bipartisan and commonsense solutions to ensure every farmer has the ability grow, produce, and freedom to operate.
At the Agriculture Committee hearing today, I questioned fellow Iowan and USDA Secretary Vilsack about the critical need to support farmers.
Here’s a quick recap on the top issues:
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Year-Round E-15: A whole year of ethanol sales for Iowa’s farmers and ethanol producers will be lost if we do not have year-round E-15.
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Beginning Farmers: More than one third of Iowa’s farmers are over the age of 65. No other industry relies on the oldest demographic to serve the entire nation. We must support the next generation of farmers.
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Farm Losses: Pork producers are experiencing the worst losses in 25 years. We must do more to drive down input costs and support farmers.
Bottom line: I’m proud to be fighting for the nearly 87,000 farms in Iowa. They deserve more from an Administration that puts their political agenda ahead of bolstering the farm economy.