SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — It’s time to “think anew,” said Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack Monday during the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 104th Annual Convention.
He said western droughts, COVID and the war in Ukraine are just a few barriers the American farmer has overcome in recent years to obtain record farm income. Yet, he said there’s reason to pause and think differently about the future of agriculture.
“Just today (the Economic Research Service) issued a report in which it shows that for most U.S. farm families, off-farm income is the main source of income,” said Vilsack during a 25-minute speech.
“Over the last two years, we began a process of putting in place a plan of action to try to focus American agriculture on productivity, profitability, sustainability and resilience.”
To do that, the department’s expanded meat and poultry processing, invested in rural broadband infrastructure, and created programs to reward climate-smart agricultural practices. The initiatives encourage farmer growth, Vilsack said.
Already, the USDA is investing $3 billion into 141 projects that use climate-smart practices and additional funding for 266 meat and poultry plants that use expansion-related projects.
“We've looked for ways in which we could encourage and increase the number of revenue streams available to farmers so that they not only can benefit from the sale of crops, or the sale of livestock, but that they have other additional revenue streams available to them,” Vilsack added.
“We're excited about this opportunity for better bargains and better choices for consumers and better income for farmers.”
Other items referenced by Vilsack include the new farm bill, regional food business centers, and increasing fertilizer capacity. He identified 21 projects that could help with the availability and cost of important inputs and fertilizer during the 2023-24 crop year.
“We're excited about this opportunity to begin the process of reducing reliance on those who do not agree with us for valuable inputs to ensure that we continue to be productive — so this means new sources of income, new market opportunities, (and) reduced input costs based on Made in America,” Vilsack said.
“As Secretary of Agriculture, it's always difficult to know that some are doing incredibly well — and we're thankful for that — but know that … negative farm income in a time of record farm profits suggests we need to do more. We need to create more opportunities, more revenue streams, more markets.”
