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Congresswoman says safety net is a constant concern for farmers

An Illinois Congresswoman says some ag issues have come up more than others in this round of farm bill listening sessions.

Democrat Cheri Bustos says they heard about market access programs a lot.  That was something that came up here, it also came up in when we were in Springfield at the Illinois State Fair,” she says.  “And the farm safety net comes up pretty much everywhere we go.”

She tells Brownfield these sessions allow members of Congress to really hear what concerns members of the ag industry have. “I hope that after this Congressional session that we have members of the committee who will continue to do this,” she says.  “Getting this policy right is way too important for us to make any assumptions.”

Bustos says the ultimate goal is to make sure the 2023 Farm Bill gets off on the right track. “We’ve really tried hard to be bipartisan also,” she says.  “And depoliticize any of this.  We don’t talk politics at all.”

This was the fifth listening session in this series and Bustos says they are planning a few more.

AUDIO: Congresswoman Cheri Bustos