The infrastructure that just passed the U.S. House of Representatives after months of maneuvering and is headed to President Joe Biden’s desk was on everyone’s mind at the recent Waterways Symposium held in St. Louis, Missouri.
It was how Michael Seyfert, president and CEO of the National Grain and Feed Association, opened his talk there, by reminding his audience of about 200 attendees, “We are on the cusp of a once-in-a-generation opportunity to upgrade U.S. competitiveness.”
But as serious as United States infrastructure challenges are, and as welcome as the new bill will be to farmers and others, there is one challenge just as serious—labor, Seyfert said. “We need workers in place if and when the infrastructure bill passes,” he said. It doesn’t matter how much is built if there not enough workers to drive the trucks, man the ports, drive the trains and operate the equipment.
He said fast, capacious rural broadband is and will be the “lifeblood” of farm needs. He also urged the quick reinstatement of the Inland Waterways Users Board, which advises the Corps of Engineers on infrastructure projects.
Seyfert laid out the NGFA’s priorities and touched on the Conservation Reserve Program. It was set up in 1985 under President Ronald Reagan as a way to set aside certain farmlands judged to be environmentally sensitive. It is operated by the Farm Service Agency and is entirely voluntary.
This year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has accepted more than 2.5 million acres into the Grassland Conservation Reserve Program signup.
This is double last year’s enrollment and brings the total acres enrolled across all CRP signups in 2021 to more than 5.3 million acres, surpassing the administration’s 4-million-acre goal, USDA said on Sept. 10.
According to Seyfert, the inflation adjustment applied by USDA to land values under CRP may have violated federal law, making it more lucrative to take farmland out of production. He said NGFA supports working-lands programs but opposes “land-idling” programs.
On trade, Seyfert said NGFA remains committed to fully implementing the Phase 1 agreement with China and to preserving the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement negotiated under President Donald Trump. He noted that the current farm bill expires on Sept. 30, 2023, and said it is not too early to begin working on a new one now. He said making sure that working lands programs instead of CRP are included in the next farm bill.
Finally, Seyfert mentioned cybersecurity threats, which he said target farms and small business, including food companies, just as much as larger concerns. “I urge you to engage with the FBI, CISA and other federal agencies,” he said. “Don’t wait until you’ve been hit, because then it’s too late.”
David Murray can be reached at [email protected].
