MORGAN, Minn. – Crop insurance came up repeatedly, when U.S. House Agriculture Committee members hosted a listening session at Farmfest Wednesday.
Minnesota Corn Growers Association President Richard Syverson urged lawmakers to “do no harm to crop insurance.” Syverson said crop insurance is the cornerstone of the farm safety net, and warned lawmakers to be aware of attacks on crop insurance mislabeled as reform.
“These proposals are wolves in sheep’s clothing,” Syverson said.
“This is going to be my third year of a drought, and if it wasn’t for crop insurance, a lot of farmers like me probably would not be surviving,” Minnesota Soybean Growers Association President Bob Worth said.
Worth said younger-generation farmers might not have the working capital and network to survive the current situation.
Retaining SNAP food assistance benefits was on the mind of Second Harvest Heartland CEO Allison O’Toole, who said, “we need a farm bill that strengthens and modernizes the SNAP component. Last year we distributed 113 million meals across the heartland. Yet, for every meal distributed by a food bank, SNAP provides nine.”
Comments