Election year politics are putting ad-hoc farm safety net tools in jeopardy. The continuing resolution in the House of Representatives this week does not include a replenishment of the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC). The $30 billion CCC fund is used, in part, to aid farmers and ranchers in times of economic emergencies.
In a statement, American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall says, “We’re disappointed that Congress has not reached an agreement on replenishing the Commodity Credit Corporation.” Duvall adds, “We strongly encourage members of Congress to put their differences aside in order to address the needs of rural America.”
AFBF notes the impact of the CCC is far-reaching, adding that without immediate CCC replenishment, programs laid out in the farm bill, including conservation and rural development, as well as supplemental funding for nutrition programs, are all at risk.
Duvall says a fully funded CCC is as important as ever as farmers are suffering through a pandemic, trade imbalances and severe weather.
(From the National Association of Farm Broadcasters)