Don’t Target Farmers Disproportionately

Over 130 ag related organizations have signed a letter addressed to President Obama, Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid and Speaker of the House John Boehner, expressing strong opposition to any deficit reduction package that would disproportionately impact America’s farmers and ranchers.

The letter states, “We have expressed a willingness to shoulder a proportionate share of budget reductions in relation to the share of the budget devoted to farm and ranch assistance. In fact, we may have been the only sector to step forward, despite our having already been cut three times in the past six years, most recently with significant cuts to crop insurance.

The letter continues, “While our members support efforts to bring down the deficit and debt in an orderly and comprehensive manner, we cannot in good faith support deficit reduction efforts that target U.S. farmers and ranchers for disproportionately large cuts to the small percentage of the mandatory budget devoted to supporting agriculture.” ◆