Farm Director KC Sheperd is talking with American Farmers and Rancher’s Zane Blubaugh and Callie Price about what they experienced at the invitation-only Farmers & Ranchers in Action Event, held in Washington D.C. The invited ag groups had the option to take a tour of the White House in the morning before hearing from top administration officials, and then going to the USDA’s headquarters for more talks.
The event allowed producers to advocate for important issues in agriculture and rural development. At least 15 members of the National Farmers Union joined the event.
The AFR Young Farmers group in attendance expressed concerns about the lack of progress on the farm bill and the need for reform in the USDA’s processes.
Despite the pessimistic mood surrounding the issues related to the pending Farm Bill, they found some officials to be more optimistic than expected. Blubaugh described, “The National Farmers Union people were able to have a more private, sit-down discussion with Undersecretary Xochitl Torres Small, and that was much more productive because we were a group of people who were all on the same page, and there were only fourteen or fifteen of us in that room, versus ninety or so in the big room. Among other things, we talked about the issues that young people are facing.”
He noted that Undersecretary Torres was receptive and engaged and related things that the USDA could do to improve the issues that were described to her. He said, “It felt like she was genuinely trying to figure out how to make some positive changes. Within the broader USDA meeting, it seemed like they were also trying to make some positive steps regarding potentially lowering interest rates and reforming how the collateral system works.”
Price related her key takeaways from the meetings as well. She said, “Zane and I got the opportunity to be at the USDA building to talk about the pending changes for FSA loans. I feel like all of the young farmers who were there had the same struggles with our local FSA offices with trying to get those loans pushed through. I feel like they were listening to our problems and the changes being made to the new loans will really be beneficial for the young farmers.”
She was most excited about planned changes to interest rates. “Zane and I are a dying breed in this generation. The changes that they are willing to make for us will be able to, hopefully, keep us farming because there aren’t many young people who are willing to do what we do.”
She was impressed with the changes Secretary Tom Vilsack was willing to help bring about, especially to the FSA loans. While she wasn’t provided with a timeline for possible changes to take place, it was mentioned that interest rates would drop to an eighth of a percent, and USDA would be providing deadline extensions to make FSA loan payments within reasonable cause.
Price is a fifth-generation farmer and knows firsthand the struggles of that livelihood. She said, “I told my mom and my uncles that that is where my heart is, and I know that they have painstakingly preserved that land for many generations – since the land run for us. Some days I feel like I might have to work full time in town to have the opportunity to farm, but I wouldn’t change it for anything.”
