Sugarbeet and sugarcane farmers from across the country just spent two weeks in Washington, D.C., for annual fly-in meetings organized by the American Sugar Alliance.
Fifth-generation farmer and Minnesota sugarbeet grower Rachel Arneson is one of the farmers who traveled to D.C. to press for stronger farm policies and needed aid.
“The farm economy is struggling – sugar is no different. Everything is more expensive, from trucks to fertilizer to pest management tools. At the same time, there has been a serious downturn in the sugar market, with prices dropping more than a third in the past two years. Sugarbeet farmers lost an average of $500 an acre last season – those types of losses are unsustainable. It’s going to be very difficult to get out into the field this spring and plant a crop knowing that we will lose money again if the market doesn’t recover.”
Farmers held hundreds of meetings with members of Congress from both sides of the aisle to share their personal stories and ensure Washington understands what’s at stake for sugarbeet and sugarcane farmers and their workers right now.
“Farmers are under immense stress, and for many of us, our multi-generational family operations are hanging in the balance. I have a daughter, and I want her to have the opportunity to be the 6th generation to farm. Everyone – both Democrats and Republicans – wants to keep family farms and food production in America.”
Sugar production in America provides an essential food ingredient while supporting more than 151,000 jobs and driving more than $23 billion in annual economic impact.
Source: American Sugar Alliance, NAFB news service
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