Agricultre leaders speak out against Trump's 21% budget cut
“A lot of farmers and growers rely on USDA’s statistical capabilities to make a lot of marketing and risk-management decisions and planting decisions,” said John Newton, American Farm Bureau Federation Director of Market Intelligence, in a statement to Reuters.
National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson says the cuts to EPA and USDA hit rural economies hard and the proposed cuts to the EPA could impact future pesticide approvals.
“Family farmers and ranchers are currently enduring the worst farm economy in well over a decade and an inadequate safety net that is hamstrung by $23 billion in budget cuts. The last thing our members need right now is more cuts to agencies and programs that provide incredibly important work, especially in the midst of the current farm crisis. These cuts and the messages they send to rural America are deeply disappointing."
Russell Redding, Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary, says the programs targeted for cuts hurt his state’s rural communities. In 2016, USDA’s Rural Business and Cooperative Service supported 73 projects in Pennsylvania. This program is set to be cut by $95 million in the new budget.
"USDA has been a vital partner of the commonwealth, but this budget threatens key mission areas of the department, and that could have harmful consequences to us here in Pennsylvania and to our citizens. We intend to work with our congressional delegation and others to underscore the importance of these investments in our state so that we can continue to grow our agricultural economy and our rural communities.”
source: growingproduce.com
