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Clinton and Trump surrogates discuss farm safety net

Photo courtesy of Farm Foundation

Photo courtesy of Farm Foundation

A top advisor to Donald Trump says price support programs for commodities need to be reviewed going into the next farm bill.

“I think something that’s going to have to be addressed down the road is price supports. We’re going to have to start to look at weaning ourselves from some of those issues and allow the markets to settle some of the factors out here,” said Sam Clovis, co-chair of Trump’s presidential campaign. “We don’t have very much of that any more—there’s not much in there.”

Clovis made those remarks during a forum discussion on where the two major candidates stand on ag issues. Former deputy secretary of agriculture Kathleen Merrigan, representing the Clinton campaign, said farm programs need to be strengthened.

“Secretary Clinton has supported farm bills and disaster relief. She understands that we need to stabilize and deepen the farm safety net,” Merrigan said. “We need a farm bill—we need it passed on time—and we need it to sustain farmers and ranchers who work the land.”

Both Merrigan and Clovis agreed the nutrition title needs to be included in the next farm bill.

The event was sponsored by the Farm Foundation. Audio from the forum is available on the Farm Foundation website.

Brownfield’s requests for interviews with the actual candidates are still pending.

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