PRINCETON, Ky. — On Wednesday, Kentucky Soybean Association (KSA) farmer-leaders visited Capitol Hill to talk about trade policy, tariffs and the Farm Bill. The visit was in conjunction with the American Soybean Association’s (ASA) Washington, D.C. meeting, which included farmers from a number of soybean growing states and focused on the national policy organization’s stance on issues that affect farmers in the Commonwealth.
KSA President Larry Thomas of Elizabethtown said that the legislators were receptive to the farmers’ comments about China’s retaliatory tariffs on soybeans, and that they were very concerned about the effects these tariffs could have on farm income in Kentucky. “They’re somewhat frustrated,” Thomas said, “because there’s not much they can do about the tariffs. The tariffs the U.S. put on China came from the executive branch, not the legislative, so it’s really up to President Trump.” Thomas said the group stressed the importance of the legislature passing the Farm Bill on time, and added that some segments of this bill provide safety nets for farmers in times of economic uncertainty, such as the recent downturn in soybean prices resulting in part from the retaliatory tariffs.
“Programs like MAP (Market Access Development) and FMD (Foreign Market Development) that are in the Farm Bill are especially critical right now. Widening our customer base for soybeans and opening new markets is key to the long-term success of U.S. soybean farmers. We’d also like to see more, not less, of our soybeans, corn and wheat sold to China to lessen the trade deficit,” Thomas said. “While we may not have gone in with a specific ask and come home with a yes, it’s important that we as farmers have a presence in D.C. and have these face-to-face meetings with our lawmakers. They need to hear firsthand from us the impacts that decisions made on the Hill have on the farm.”
ASA Vice President and Wingo farmer Davie Stephens was pleased with the turnout from our state. “I know how hard it is to take time away from the farm and family during the summer months,” he said. “That our leaders make Hill visits a priority speaks well for our state and for both KSA and ASA. ASA leaders have been on the Hill several times this year, talking to our lawmakers about the Farm Bill and the impacts of these tariffs, and we will continue Farm Bill and tariff discussions. One-third of the U.S. soybean crop has been shipped straight to China for the past several years, and obviously that’s a significant concern. We’ve been building these trade relationships over the past 31 years, and that is time and money invested in the future. Those relationships have established the U.S as a reliable supplier of high-quality soy, and disruption of trade that last year alone added up to $14 billion is of grave concern to growers.”
Visits such as these, coupled with strong relationships between KSA farmer-leaders and lawmakers in both Frankfort and Washington, amplify the voice of Kentucky’s soybean farmers. With farmers being such a small percentage of the population but ag issues impacting everyone at the grocery store and beyond, the farmer-leaders of KSA make it a priority to influence policy at both the state and federal levels.
Membership in the Kentucky Soybean Association is open to any soybean producer and any business/organization that serves Kentucky soybean growers. For more information on soybean farming in Kentucky, visit www.kysoy.org.
— Kentucky Soybean Association
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