Zippy Duvall

Farmers and ranchers welcome the administration’s announcement of $8 billion in relief through the Harvest Fuel Relief program to help farmers struggling with high diesel prices. We appreciate President Trump and Secretary Rollins recognizing that higher diesel prices have squeezed farmers’ bottom lines. By building on the Farmer Bridge Assistance program, USDA will be able to quickly deliver this relief to farm country.

We look forward to working with the president and USDA to ensure specialty crop growers, livestock producers, fishermen and others get the support they need so they can continue growing the food America’s families rely on. We also value the president’s continued support for Congress passing a modernized farm bill, allowing year-round E15 and addressing agriculture’s labor needs.

We thank President Trump for recognizing that what happens at the fuel pump directly affects what happens on the farm and therefore at dinner tables across America. Allowing dyed diesel fuel to be used over-the-road will bring welcome relief for farmers because every cent per gallon matters when you're running a fleet of grain trucks or hauling cattle hundreds of miles.

As we detailed in a letter to the president last week, this effort will bring much needed price relief for farmers as they work to complete harvest across the U.S. The federal highway diesel tax is currently more than 24-cents per gallon, so it’s a big deal to farmers to be able to use tax exempt diesel more broadly to get their harvest to market. We appreciate that the president listened to farmers and responded.

America’s farmers and ranchers are renewing their call to the president to reverse course on his plan to import foreign-raised beef. While we appreciate President Trump’s goal of reducing grocery costs for America’s families, increasing beef imports has not brought prices down.

Farm Bureau economists tracked 41 locations since Labor Day and found that, on average, prices have fallen only 16 cents per pound. Most prices were unchanged. Families are still facing historically high prices and the threat of a 60% increase in imports over 90 days caused a sharp drop in the prices paid to ranchers for their cattle.

To put it simply, the plan undercut a fragile recovery in the cattle industry while failing to benefit consumers. We urge the president to stop importing additional beef and focus on long-term solutions that support rebuilding the U.S. herd, which benefits both farmers and consumers who want home-grown beef.

We applaud members of the Senate Agriculture Committee who recognize the critical support the #farmbill provides for America’s farmers and ranchers. We appreciate Chairman Boozman’s leadership in moving this legislation forward and we urge lawmakers in the House and Senate to advance a farm bill to President Trump’s desk.

It’s been almost a decade since Congress last passed a farm bill. In the past 10 years, more than 200,000 family farms have gone out of business, as farmers grappled with a pandemic, global unrest, rising expenses and falling prices paid for the food they grow. A new, modernized farm bill will help give farmers the tools they need to survive continued and unforeseen challenges ahead.

More than 100 farmers and ranchers descended on Washington this week to send the message that we’re counting on Congress to work together to advance a bipartisan farm bill. A strong farm bill ensures an abundant and safe food supply. It benefits every family in America, regardless of their political affiliation.

I had the important opportunity today to speak with President Trump after the Oval Office event to let him know that the plan to increase beef imports is hurting farm families. I shared with him that we have witnessed significant price drops for cattle across the country. It has caused a setback to rebuilding the U.S. herd. We’ll continue to urge the administration to reverse the decision to increase imports before cattle prices fall further.

America’s beef producers were the focus of today’s meeting at the White House. Among the topics covered under the executive orders is a call for an interagency review of mandatory country of origin labeling for beef. Farm Bureau policy supports voluntary Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) that conforms with COOL parameters and meets World Trade Organization requirements.

We appreciate the president’s support for small processors by exploring new opportunities and expanded inspection access. Creating competition benefits both ranchers and consumers.

The executive order also recognizes advances made in the recovery of Mexican and gray wolves in the United States. Farmers and ranchers share a commitment to healthy wildlife populations, and we support updated status reviews. The ESA is designed to help protect and recover species, and when populations recover, we should celebrate those successes and give oversight to the states for continued responsible management.