By Zippy Duvall
Just a couple weeks ago at the American Farm Bureau Convention in San Antonio, I reminded Farm Bureau members that it’s going to take all of us stepping up in 2025 to drive agriculture forward. After a record number of grassroots contacts last year—nearly fifty thousand texts, calls, emails and letters—I am confident that we are ready to work with leaders and lawmakers in 2025.
Already the past few weeks have been a whirlwind. When we heard talk of tariffs on our largest export markets, we launched into action by engaging with White House staff and reaching out to President Trump about the likely consequences of tariffs for farmers and ranchers, who always get caught in the crosshairs of tariff battles. We were also quick to express appreciation for the administration’s negotiations with Mexico and Canada that led to the tariffs being put on hold for 30 days.
Of course, Farm Bureau supports the goals of security and ensuring fair trade, and we’re hopeful President Trump can limit trade disruptions and open new markets for agriculture. We have seen very few new trade deals in the last decade, and U.S. agriculture is now seeing a trade deficit of $32 billion. That’s in stark contrast to our historical agricultural trade surplus, averaging $12.5 billion over the past ten years. Boosting agricultural trade also has proven to be good for our overall economy. Historically, every $1 of U.S. agricultural exports results in over $2 in additional domestic economic activity.
The importance of trade is a point I’ll make when I testify before the Senate Agriculture Committee this week as the whirlwind continues. I’ll also shine a spotlight on the urgent need for action on a new, modernized farm bill. While the disaster assistance Congress approved at the end of 2024 is critical to farm and ranch families, we cannot afford to keep kicking the can down the road with a long-outdated farm bill.
As farmers and ranchers know, the farm bill isn’t the only pressing issue for agriculture right now. We—and many other small businesses—are anticipating what may be the largest tax increase in American history if Congress does not pass critical tax reform legislation this year. Lawmakers have promised to prioritize extending expiring tax provisions, and we will hold them to it. Congress must find a way to facilitate a stable business environment for America’s farms and ranches to help us continue to provide the food, renewable fuel and fiber this country needs.
Farm Bureau is also urging Congress and the administration to work together to find solutions to one of agriculture’s greatest challenges—labor. It’s among the biggest limiting factors in American agriculture today and farmers are out of options.
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