Two Key Farm Issues in Danger at State House
With only 2 weeks left in the legislative session, several key bills that impact farmers are in danger of being ignored. Funding for local roads and bridges has been a major priority for Indiana agriculture. But as Patrick Pfingsten, with the Indiana Soybean Alliance and Indiana Corn Growers Association, tells HAT funding for repair and upkeep of local roads is in danger of being left out of a final road bill, “There is a game of political chicken going on in the General Assembly.” At issue is where the funds will come from to fix Indiana’s crumbling rural infrastructure. Pfingsten says corn and soybean growers are open to a variety of funding options, as long as the funds are there to fix local roads and bridges, “The Governor and Senate Republicans do not want to raise the gas tax to help generate funds. Our board of directors are okay with a tax hike as long as there is funding to fix rural roads and bridges around the state.” He is concerned that, unless farmers make their voice heard, rural roads could get left out of a last minute deal that gets done to get the transportation bill passed.
With farm income declining sharply, property taxes on farmland becomes a serious issue for producers. Pfingsten stated, “We are calling on our members to contact their legislators and ask for support of the original language in SB 308.”
