U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Ala.) participated in a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing to discuss the extent to which consolidation within the agriculture products industry has contributed to soaring input costs across the nation. Senator Britt and her colleagues heard from farmers, policy experts, and agriculture industry professionals, including Andy LaVigne, President and CEO of the American Seed Trade Association.
Senator Britt highlighted the importance of the agricultural industry in the state of Alabama, saying, “Agriculture is the bedrock of Alabama’s economy. So, 1 in 5 jobs in our state are tied to the agriculture industry. I am so proud of our farmers and what they do, knowing that they feed and clothe people not just coast to coast, but across the world.”
She acknowledged rising production costs and their consequences on our rural communities and national security: “Alabama farmers are acutely familiar, though, with the impact of skyrocketing input costs and what that’s done [to their bottom lines.] When we look at the last four years, knowing that input costs have gone up across the board, but that our agriculture community has been hit the hardest, and just knowing that farmers are experiencing record breaking yields, but yet, losing hundreds of dollars an acre when you try to square these things up we have to do something.
“In fact, based on historical yields, every major row crop from peanuts to cotton to soybeans will be produced at a loss in 2025. And so, food security is national security, we say that all the time And if farmers are not thriving, our rural communities are not either. And so, there is so much at stake in making sure that we get this right.”