Today, a farmer can feed 129 people. The hard work and ingenuity of America's farmers have made U.S. agriculture the pride of the nation. But farmers today face serious challenges. In the last several months, hog prices plummeted and are still below cost. Corn and soybean prices are in a slump.
Farmers struggle under the burden of excessive taxes and regulation.
And farmers lack adequate means to weather the ups and downs of today's unpredictable agricultural markets. The bottom line is that many Illinois farmers are having trouble making ends meet and farms are shutting down because federal agricultural policies do not provide sufficient solutions. Agriculture is critical to both the economy of America and Illinois. Including related industries, agriculture is the nation's largest employer. When I entered the U.S. Senate last month, I worked hard to secure a seat on the Senate Agriculture Committee so that our state and our farmers could have a strong voice in Washington.