America’s farmers need continuous support

Farming runs deep in my family’s blood. Five generations have worked the soil and passed down the tools of the trade on our land in Huron County. Farming is a family job. I’ve worked on this farm my entire life, and every day I think about what I need to do to pass down this legacy.

But in Michigan and across the country, I’ve seen how much harder that has become. From soaring input prices to unpredictable weather to unfair foreign trade practices, farming is in many ways tougher than ever. While we’re no strangers to hard work or tough seasons, even the most resilient farm families need a fair shot.

On our farm, we grow sugarbeets, wheat, dry edible beans, corn and rye. My great-grandparents began growing sugarbeets, and they have since become the cornerstone of our farm.

That’s why it meant so much to have the 40th International Sweetener Symposium held in Michigan, home to many of the sugarbeet farms, families and workers who power America’s sugar industry. The meeting in Traverse City showcased the challenges and opportunities facing growers across the country.

Sugarbeets are one of two crops used to make sugar in the United States. Real sugar is a natural and essential ingredient in countless everyday foods. It’s important we continue to support the American farmers and American workers who produce our food; we can’t become completely reliant on other countries.

The American sugar industry supports more than 151,000 jobs across the country. In Michigan, every year we grow more than 4.5 million tons of sugarbeets across 140,000 acres. This is a real engine of growth for our rural communities, and we want to keep it running.

Yet, our sugar producers have faced increasing financial pressure in recent years.

Presenters at the International Sweetener Symposium noted that several sugar processing facilities have had to close in recent years as the cost of doing business has increased while sugar prices have decreased.

We are grateful that our sugar facilities in Michigan remain strong, but we cannot take our food security for granted. As farmers, we must shine a spotlight on how hard it has become to sustain our operations in light of these financial pressures and the ongoing threat posed by foreign subsidies.

I was thankful to hear that during the Sweetener Symposium U.S. Department of Agriculture Deputy Secretary Stephen Vaden reaffirmed the Trump Administration’s commitment to putting America’s farmers first, saying “every action that we’re taking is with an America-first and farmers-first philosophy.” We also have advocates like Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Romeo, in Congress to put forward policies that give us the certainty to plan and invest in our farms and factories.

My children are now at the age where they can come along with us in the field to learn the responsibilities that come with growing our nation’s food. It’s my hope that the Trump Administration and Congress will continue to support our farmers so we can feed the country and preserve the legacy we’ve built, generation after generation. My children are counting on it.