Political Quotes

“I rise today to highlight a growing crisis that threatens our farmers, rural communities, food security, and our national economy. I am concerned that as American agriculture and rural communities face very hard times, many Americans are unaware of the stakes ahead. Here is the bottom line. American agriculture is in serious trouble, and Congress must act now with short-term assistance. That is not hyperbole. I continue to hear from producers in Mississippi and across the country that the numbers don't add up and the outlook is grim. Without immediate action, we risk losing not only farms but also the rural communities and the food security they provide. This is no longer a warning; it is an emergency. Over the past three crop years, rising input costs for seed, fertilizer, fuel, labor, and more have collided with falling commodity prices and high interest rates. Even with strong crop yields this year, many farmers are facing losing between $100 and $400 per acre. For a 2,000-acre farm, that is a financial hit in the hundreds of thousands and sometimes millions of dollars in losses. Farm bankruptcies have already surpassed last year's total, and if we do not step in, that trend will accelerate. The ripple effect is real. In small towns across America, family farms are the economic engine. When farms thrive, so do local grocery stores, schools, equipment dealers, banks, and churches. When farms fail, the community fails with them. Jobs disappear.…”