Local farmers concerned about NAFTA talks: Brooks wants to protect agricultural community
ANDERSON – Members of the local farming community raised concerns about renewed negotiations on the North American Free Trade Act and the pending farm bill in a meeting with Rep. Susan Brooks.
Brooks, R-5th District, met with members of the Indiana Corn Growers Association and the Indiana Soybean Alliance Thursday at Grace’s Place.
With Congress working on passage of a new farm bill and the expected renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Act (NAFTA), the farmers told Brooks that there is instability right now concerning both issues and that the goal should be to avoid harming the agricultural community.
There are no drafts of the proposed farm bill being released in the House or Senate and none is expected until March, she said.
Brooks said she has reached out to stakeholders in Indiana to gauge priorities for the farm bill.
She said a priority is to protect crop insurance, which President Donald Trump has indicated could be slashed.
“There were tough times for farmers last year,” Brooks said of the wetter-than-normal growing season in 2017.
Another goal is to keep the food stamp program as part of the farm bill in 2018 and not make it a separate piece of legislation, she said.
“There have been discussions about separating the SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) program,” Brooks said. “We have to make sure we get fraud out of the program, but it’s critically important that SNAP remains in the farm bill.
“I plan on having an active role in the farm bill,” she added.
“We don’t want to lower the trade deficit at the expense of agriculture,” she said. “NAFTA is important to Indiana farmers. Mexico is number one in imports and Canada is in the top three. We don’t want to use agriculture as a lever for other programs.”
Brooks said the agricultural community is dependent on exports and both Mexico and Canada have agreed to renegotiate the trade agreement.
“We want to make sure agriculture is not being harmed,” she said.