COLUMBUS, OHIO (OHIO AGNET) —Lawmakers are stepping away from Washington and into farm country, meeting directly with producers to hear their concerns.
Ohio Ag Net’s Ty Higgins spoke with U.S. Rep. Greg Landsman (D-OH) and U.S. Senator Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) about key issues, including expanding year-round access to E15, addressing higher input costs like fertilizer, and moving forward on a new farm bill.
Landsman says those face-to-face conversations are critical to understanding what farmers are dealing with: “The E15 fight is a big one for me and making sure that we get to year-round, where it’s permanent, and our farmers have more markets, more places to sell their products.”
Slotkin emphasized the need to move forward on an updated farm policy.
“We all know that we need a farm bill. It’s years out of date at this point. It used to be one of the most bipartisan things we did in Washington. Democrats and Republicans were voting in overwhelming numbers to set farm policy. We need to do that.”
She also pointed to upcoming trade discussions, including the future of USMCA.
“USMCA or NAFTA is right on the horizon. We’ve got to make sure our farmers don’t lose ground and, in fact, gain ground in any new updates to the agreement.”
Both lawmakers say hearing directly from farmers helps shape how they approach policy decisions and address challenges like trade and input costs.
House Agriculture Committee Chair Glenn “GT” Thompson says his version of the farm bill could see floor action in the coming days.
