Farmers have been on the hill this week, testifying before the Senate Ag Committee on the farm economy.
Senator Tommy Tuberville questioned why any young person would want to get involved in agriculture with today’s economic conditions:
“We’re trying to save not just farmers that have been doing it for a long time, like Mr. Noble, but we’re trying to get young farmers involved in this fiasco as we’re looking at it and why in the world you’d do it, I don’t know, but hopefully, there is a lot of people out there that want to get into farming. And I know at Auburn, you know, we have an ag department that’s very strong, and you see a lot of great activity. How do we do that? How do we get young people involved? We lost 150,000 farmers and farms in the last four years, a disaster that nobody’s talking about.”
Auburn’s College of Ag offers 13 undergraduate majors and 23 graduate programs. More than 1,500 students are currently enrolled.
Caleb Hopkins with First Dakota National Bank told the committee that securing the future of agriculture for farmers like those at Auburn starts with a new Farm Bill:
“We start with the Farm Bill with increasing lending limits, and as much negativity as we see surrounding ag, I am very optimistic when I look at young producers we have around our area that are very on top of management. They’re very on top of technology. They’re looking for opportunity. The question is, how do we give them the opportunity? What tools do we have to provide them with opportunity as capital expenses are getting to be so high that at the barrier to entry into agriculture, like you said yourself, why would you want to do it? Bu they’re still individuals with that passion to be producer for this country.”
Hopkins says that raising lending limits to keep pace with those increased capital requirements will be essential for producers.
Sen. Tuberville agreed and pointed out that a brand new cotton picker today costs $5 million!
