Farmers Union Sets Policy Priorities

The National Farmers Union said it’s looking for measures that will bring some certainty to the farm economy in 2020. The organization will emphasize bringing the question about agricultural certainty to presidential candidates.

Newly elected NFU President Rob Larew said after the organization's annual convention, “The special orders the delegates passed to set priorities for 2020 reflected what an awful year 2019 was.”

LaRew added farmers were also hurt by “manmade challenges,” a veiled reference to President Trump’s trade policies, as well as a “lack of action” on climate change.

The National Farmers Union will also continue to focus on its long-term concerns about agribusiness concentration, as well as the dwindling competition among the businesses that supply farmers with their inputs and buy farmer products from them.

Larew said it’s been difficult to get the attention of Washington, D.C. regarding these issues. However, rising concern about antitrust issues and anticompetitive behavior by tech companies could make easier to get D.C. to notice what’s going on with those same issues in agriculture.