To help corn farmers, Bower urged the Senate Agriculture Committee to approve year-round availability of E15 — the 15% ethanol and gasoline blend — to generate more commodity sales here at home.
Bower was joined at the hearing by another Ohio farmer from about 20 minutes down the road in Fayette County, who delivered much the same message.
“Across the board, U.S. agriculture is facing significant challenges, which are illustrated by rapidly plunging margins for farmers,” said Scott Metzger, who is the head of the American Soybean Association.
Ohio soybean farmers have seen a massive drop in exports to China over the past year, mainly because of the trade war spurred by President Donald Trump’s tariffs.
“It is no secret that the U.S. soybean industry is facing unprecedented economic distress,” Metzger told Senators.
At the same hearing, other national farm leaders said the U.S. military strikes on Iran — and the resulting impact on world trade — could cause even more trouble.
“The conflict in Iran is expected to make the cost of fuel and fertilizer soar even farther,” said Zippy Duval, the head of the American Farm Bureau Federation.
“My phone has rang off the hook since last week when the (Straits of Hormuz) was shut down,” Duvall added.
Those rising input costs are a massive headache for all farmers — and that included the farm leaders testifying before Senators.
“As we look at potentially our fourth year (of) losses in a row,” said Metzger, the Ohio corn farmer, “at least on my personal farm, (I’m) trying to figure out how I’m going to pay for my inputs that are so drastically out of line.”
The warnings about troubles on the farm came a week after the U.S. House Agriculture Committee approved a major farm policy bill, which has been stuck in Congress for several years.
“It’s time for us to deliver again,” said Ohio’s U.S. Rep. Dave Taylor, R-Amelia, who called for a full House approval of the Farm Bill package, arguing it will help farmers and rural communities more broadly.
But Democrats complained the House measure is one-sided.
“There was no meaningful effort to negotiate and put forth a bipartisan product,” said U.S. Rep. Shontel Brown, D-Cleveland.
As with most major legislation in Congress, the way forward is unclear.
“I implore all members of Congress to put politics aside to advance real solutions,” Bower pleaded. “U.S. farmers are too good at what we do.”
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