American Farm Bureau Setting Policy in Atlanta

While not a normal year, 2021 was good for farmers, according to American Farm Bureau Federation Chief Economist Roger Cryan. And, speaking at the Farm Bureau annual convention in Atlanta, Cryan says look for issues from 2020 and 2021 to carry over into this year.
“The pandemic is not over,” Cryan said. “So, people are still spending money differently. They’re buying stuff instead of restaurant meals or tickets to the ballgame, so forth. Crowded ports and too few truck drivers are making it hard to move ag products and other stuff that people are buying. And of course, geopolitics is affecting our access to markets and our availability of farm inputs, in many ways as well. And inflation is a very serious concern for the first time in 40 years.”
Cryan says net farm income is expected above average for 2022, but they don’t expect any further government payments beyond normal programs.
Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall says supply chain issues remain top of mind for Farm Bureau members.
“Well, there’s two issues,” Duvall explained. “They’re concerned about the prices and they’re even more concerned about the availability of it. We got some suppliers and they’re going to try their best to deliver to their everyday customers that do business with them every day, but it’s going to prevent new customers and new farmers and new people getting involved in agriculture from even having a supply to go to. but we’re very, very concerned and whatever the interruption is, whether it be at our ports, whether it be in tariffs, whatever that might be, we got to find a solution to it.”
Also being discussed are farm labor, and beef markets. Farm Bureau delegates will decide policy directives Tuesday at their convention in Atlanta, Georgia.
Source: NAFB News
Photo Credit: American Farm Bureau