Farm Bureau leaders meet with lawmakers

WILLIAMSBURG — Iowa Farm Bureau members representing 24 counties met with Iowa’s congressional delegation last week in Washington, D.C. to discuss policy issues important to agriculture.

Brian Strasser, of Homestead; Angela and Jeff Thomsen, of Olin; Brandon Franck, of DeWitt; and Krista and Cordt Holub, of Dysart, were among the members who shared stories of how policies have affected their family farms and communities.

The Iowa farmers met with Iowa Sens. Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst and representatives of Reps. Ashley Hinson, Randy Feenstra, Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Zach Nunn.

Farm Bureau members also visited with representatives from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, including U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, and discussed farm loans, trade and the agency’s response to bird flu in dairy cows.

The Farm Bureau members stressed the urgency of passing an updated farm bill and shared challenges related to a one-year extension and to waiting another year for congressional action.

Since the last farm bill was passed in 2018, farmers have faced volatile markets related to the COVID-19 pandemic and record-high inflation and costs to raise a crop.

The farmer delegation urged lawmakers to make critical updates to the farm safety net which are needed to help farmers manage risk of today’s prices and provide certainty for long-term planning.

Other issues raised by members were protecting interstate commerce, expanding biofuel markets and growing opportunities for trade.