According to the New York Times, major players in the agriculture industry sounded the economic alarm in a joint letter.
A bipartisan group of agriculture industry leaders is calling on the Trump administration and Congress to reverse course on tariffs and other economic restrictions. Many of these measures increase costs, disrupt market access, impede access to labor and prevent important agricultural research, the letter said. Taken together, these impacts are considered catastrophic.
“Our farmers and ranchers can compete with the world, but they can’t compete with the world in a confusing set of policy environments,” Jon Doggett, former CEO of the National Corn Growers Association, told the New York Times.
Other signers include Buzz Matlin, past president of the American Barley Growers Association, and Bart Ruth, past president of the American Soybean Association.
Domestic agriculture helps Americans meet their dietary needs. The collapse of the industry would also cause severe economic and cultural damage. An extremely unstable climate compounds the challenges posed by government policies.
Existing and ongoing pollution is trapping heat in the atmosphere, exacerbating damaging weather trends. This includes floods, droughts, storms and wildfires, all of which pose a threat to farmers’ survival. These weather changes also create new opportunities for pests to multiply, which can destroy key crops.
“Congress needs to advocate on behalf of farmers if we are to avoid widespread collapse of American agriculture and rural communities,” the letter said.
The letter recommends nine actions to reduce stress on American farmers. These include exempting agricultural inputs from tariffs, supporting more trade deals and restoring funding for agricultural research.
While institutional action is required, individual action is also possible.
Adopting a plant-based diet ensures efficient use of farmland to feed people. Likewise, switching to electric vehicles can reduce the need for ethanol used in conventional cars. Ethanol production consumes approximately 40% of U.S. corn production.
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