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Indiana farmers share their farm bill priorities

Indiana farmers shared their thoughts on the upcoming 2018 Farm Bill debate at the Indiana Ag Policy Summit.

As discussions about the 2018 Farm Bill continue, a panel of Indiana farmers expressed their concerns that budget cuts will diminish their risk management tools.

Anngie Steinbarger farms in Central Indiana and works in the crop insurance industry.  She says her biggest worry is that budget cuts will put the Harvest Price Option for crop insurance on the chopping block.  “You take away the Harvest Price Option and really that program goes away,” she says.  “It makes crop insurance more expensive for everyone when you do that.  When it comes to crop insurance you want to spread the risk.  The Harvest Price Option is a great way to do that.”

Steinkamp farms in southwest Indiana.  He says trade is vitally important to farmers around the country – and that’s why they’d like to see increased funding for programs like the Market Access Program and the Foreign Market Development program.  “Over 30 percent of all of our beans go to China,” he says.  “We use that FMD money and MAP money to find more markets besides China.”

Other topics addressed were conservation, ARC/PLC, the nutrition program, and continued funding for Beginning Farmer and Rancher programs.

AUDIO: Indiana Ag Policy Summit Farm Bill Panel

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