Navigating Turbulent Times

The Trump Administration is making a lot of big, quick decisions. Rather than focus on the turbulent times, American Sugarbeet Growers Association Executive Vice President Luther Markwart encouraged his members “to take a deep breath and we will navigate through all of this.” The farm bill is in the immediate spotlight. “The CBO just noted the new baseline for agriculture spending will be $1.4 trillion which means the farm bill will be more expensive.” By late April, Congress is expected to determine where to make budget cuts or invest in additional spending. On the regulatory front, ASGA is concentrating on endangered species and potential mitigation requirements. “We’re getting a lot of comments into EPA to say what you’re suggesting can be very detrimental to production agriculture.”