Major players in the agricultural industry are sounding economic alarm in a joint letter, according to The New York Times.
A bipartisan group of agriculture industry leaders has called on the Trump administration and Congress to reverse course on tariffs and other economically restrictive measures. The letter said many of these increased costs, disrupted market access, blocked access to work, and halted important agricultural research. Combined, these effects were considered catastrophic.
“Our farmers and ranchers can compete with the world, but they can’t compete with the world with a chaotic set of political circumstances,” former chief executive of the National Corn Growers Association, Jon Doggett, told The New York Times.
Other signatories included Buzz Mattelin, past president of the National Barley Growers Association, and Bart Ruth, past president of the American Soybean Association.
Domestic agriculture helps people in the United States meet their dietary needs. The collapse of the industry also creates heavy economic and cultural losses. The challenges imposed by government policy are compounded by a wildly erratic climate.
Existing and ongoing pollution is trapping heat in the atmosphere, exacerbating destructive weather trends. This includes floods, droughts, storms, and forest fires, all of which pose existential threats to farmers. These changes in weather have also introduced new opportunities for the proliferation of pests, which can destroy staple crops.
“Congress needs to assert itself on behalf of farmers if we are to avoid a widespread collapse of American agriculture and our rural communities,” the letter said.
The letter recommended nine actions to ease the pressure on American farmers. These included exempting farm inputs from tariffs, supporting more trade agreements, and restoring funding for agricultural research.
While institutional action is needed, there are individual actions that can be taken.
Adopting a plant-based diet can ensure that cropland is being used efficiently to feed people. Likewise, switching to an EV can reduce the demand for ethanol otherwise used in running a traditional car. Ethanol production uses about 40% of America’s corn production.
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