The House Agriculture Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management held a hearing on the financial health of farm country.
Chairman Rick Crawford says America’s farmers and ranchers have experienced an estimated 43-percent decrease in net farm income since 2013 and are being forced to make substantial adjustments to their operations as a result.
Ranking Member Tim Walz says when the farm economy is healthy, the main street economy is healthy.
Walz says lawmakers rely on boots on the ground expertise to help them navigate a proper course for ag policy.
He says they write the farm bill for the bad times not the good.
The financial health of agriculture is significantly influenced by external factors which Walz says all can have an impact on the farm and reach out to touch entire rural communities.
He says risk management, helping the next generation of farmers and the sustainable health of soil and resources are key themes that apply to the financial health of the ag industry.
House Ag Chairman Mike Conaway says it is important that Congress works to provide rural America with the necessary tools to feed and clothe America and compete in the global marketplace.
