The current farm economy was the big talking point at the National Farmers Union Convention this year in New Orleans. Minnesota Farmers Union President Gary Wertish says farmers have many concerns that they’re voicing at the delegate sessions, but staying afloat remains the big one. “Everybody’s concerned with profitability. In Minnesota alone, we have the Farmer-Lender Mediation law that we passed during the 1980s farm crisis. In the first few months of this year already, we’ve had over 700 people that applied for farmer lender mediation, which is just significantly higher than last year.” Wertish says federal aid helps, but it’s not enough. “The Farmer Bridge Assistance Package doesn’t even cover the losses now with the increased prices of fuel and fertilizer, just due to the president’s actions in Iran. That’s on top of all of this. So, farmers want their prices from the market, not from the government.”
