Vilsack: We Are Doing What We Can To Address Inflation, Fertilizer Prices

Senate Ag Republicans recently confronted USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack over soaring farm input costs, declining profits, overregulation, and the top issue on nearly everyone's mind: inflation. Vilsack insisted he’s doing everything he can to boost production and reduce fertilizer costs.

“We are working with farmers to make sure that they are fully aligned with the right application, the right time, the right location, the right amount. We have also provided a new risk management tool that encourages a split application of nitrogen to reduce the cost to farmers. We’re picking up the loss of productivity that may occur if they are unable to fertilize twice in a year. We also have allocated $500 million towards looking at a broad array of options in terms of how we might be able to expand fertilizer capacity in this country.”

Vilsack also addressed CRP with lawmakers.

“We announced the fact that, in terms of the general signup, approximately a little over one million acres that were in the program are coming out of the program. So that million acres is going to be available. Secondly, we announced an effort to try to encourage those whose acres are coming out of the program to be able to access their fields more quickly.”

That is without having to wait under the rules until October to plant. Vilsack also announced another $200 million to expand meat processing and tighter proposed Packers and Stockyards rules to protect poultry producers.

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