A new Congress means fresh faces, but newcomers might not be as well-versed in agriculture as others. One horticulture group says it is a good opportunity to advocate for agriculture.
“That’s always a challenge, both with what we call ‘freshmen,’ or the new members within Congress, as well as, frankly, a lot of the veterans [legislators],” said Kate Tynan, Senior Vice President at the Northwest Horticultural Council. “And you have new staff who are coming in, and that can be an opportunity, as much as it is a challenge, to make sure folks are up to speed.”
Tynan says the biggest issue they are trying to drive home is the growing ag trade deficit, which is set to hit more than $45 billion this year.
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“It really hamstrings our availability of financing to get loans when everything is costing 30-60% more.”
“It doesn’t matter what we do in Canada or the United States, it’s not going to help the monarch population.”
“Producers want those options for identification and traceability purposes that they were promised back in 2013, and that’s what made it controversial.”
