No food produced here means we have to get it from somewhere else. Hope is good, but we need more if our Tennessee farmers are going to have future harvests. Let them know that we need to increase exports for U.S. agricultural commodities. We need to reform costly regulations and reduce federal mandates that do nothing but add cost. Farmers need new and better risk management programs and develop a crop insurance program that works.
Tax reform is needed by eliminating estate taxes and reform self-employment taxes paid by farmers.
The interests of farm families needs to be protected regarding mergers and consolidations by major industry processors with renewed competition in the market place. This can be accomplished by legislation, but it needs to be done now.