Soybean farmers share farm bill priorities

WASHINGTON — Three Indiana soybean growers traveled to Washington to talk with lawmakers and their staffs about the upcoming farm bill.

Phil Ramsey, Elaine Gillis and Mike Koehne are all board members on the American Soybean Association and members of the Indiana Soybean Alliance Membership and Policy Committee.

The existing farm bill will expire at the end of September.

Ramsey said ASA is promoting five key farm bill priorities:

• Maintaining the current crop insurance program.

• Keeping farm safety net programs such as Price Loss Coverage and Agriculture Risk Coverage in place.

• Expanding investments to expand global trade of U.S. commodities.

• Enhancing voluntary and incentive-based conservation programs.

• Promoting new market opportunities for soybeans through research, rural development and nutrition.

Koehne said that U.S. farmers need a wider base of export destinations for U.S. crops.

“We need to invest more to promote U.S. commodities globally,” he said.

“We need to keep pushing in that direction. China has been taking about one-third of our soybeans, and we have a rocky relationship with China. We need to keep developing new markets around the world.”

The ASA board members advised the federal legislators that conservation programs are important, but they should be incentive-based and voluntary for farmers to participate.

Lastly, ASA would like to see the federal government invest in new market opportunities through research, rural development and nutrition.

“Soybeans are an amazing crop and used in many food and industrial products,” Gillis said. “We want to continue to push forward for new uses for the soybeans we grow. It’s a crucial part of market development and moving the pile.”

Steve Howell, senior director of industry affairs for Membership and Policy Committee, accompanied the Hoosier farmers in D.C.

He said the lawmakers they spoke with were generally optimistic about the farm bill getting adopted this year.

“The read we’ve gotten from committee leadership, both Republicans and Democrats in both the Senate and House, is that they’re committed to getting the farm bill done on time,” he said.

“The farm bill is one of those few bills that is more bipartisan than other bills. There are going to be some differences of opinion, and it could get contentious given some of the reforms that may be put forward for the nutrition title.

“How severe that contention will be is yet to be seen, but I think the farm groups are in agreement that we want it done on time. We do have good policy in the farm bill.”