Today, Rep. Cindy Axne (IA-03) shared with U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack her concerns about rising costs of fertilizer for Iowa farmers and other topics at a House Agriculture Committee hearing.
“Iowa farmers are concerned about the high cost of fertilizer this season,” said Rep. Axne. “Our corn producers, they've seen the highest cost of fertilizer per acre for any commodity out there. And some farmers, unfortunately, are considering planting less this spring due to this increased cost… I'm curious to see what you think the reasons are for this volatility and what steps the USDA and Congress can take to address this issue.
“Part of the reason is strong global demand and domestic demand. Part of the reason is that we are reliant on outside sources for some of the fertilizer that we use,” said Secretary Vilsack. “Part of the reason, I think, is that we need to continue to accelerate significantly our efforts in precision agriculture so that the application of fertilizer is strategic and thoughtful… Iowa State [University] has research to suggest that maybe as much as 30% of corn acres today may not require any fertilizer at all.”
“I definitely want to talk more on precision agriculture as we roll out broadband as part of our infrastructure bill,” Rep. Axne said.
The bipartisan infrastructure package that became law last November is projected to provide Iowa more than $100 million to expand access to broadband connectivity in rural areas.
Rep. Axne also highlighted her work on cattle market transparency, including her bill the Cattle Price Discovery and Transparency Act, and similar efforts by the USDA and the Biden Administration.
Axne also emphasized the importance of cover crops as the House Agriculture Committee prepares to begin hearings in preparation for the 2023 Farm Bill.
Original source can be found here
