The Senate Ag Committee has just announced it will hold a second hearing to examine the ag economy. They heard from farmers and ranchers this week, and now say they will hear from state Farm Bureau and ag directors next Thursday.
This week’s testimony included leaders of the nation’s largest ag groups. They all shared a sentiment of concern. Farm Bureau Zippy Duvall told lawmakers about the issues that caused him to lose sleep.
“What keeps me up at night is who’s going to farm in the future. 40% of the farmers is over the retirement age; 300,000 or less than 25 years old, and most of them have off-the-farm jobs to support their farming. I don’t know who’s going to be farming in the future if we don’t make an environment for agriculture that draws young people to afford to raise a family and create a home in rural communities and support that economy there. It’s why the farm bill is so important.”
It could be months before the Farm Bill sees any floor time as lawmakers are currently focused on the budget that must be dealt with by March. The current extension of the 2018 Farm Bill goes through September.
