From: Tim Gauck
Greensburg
Many of us who live in rural areas are resilient. As farmers, we often find that there are repairs or jobs that we must do ourselves. Caring for our families and farms is what we’ve done for generations.
In a way, that’s part of the story of today’s more modern, more cohesive, stronger farm economy.
More than 40 years ago, the farm economy needed repaired. Government-imposed grain embargoes restricted international trade. A lack of investment in ag companies slowed access of new technology to farms. Universities were delayed from bringing new information to our corn and soybean fields.
These circumstances led to stagnant or declining crop prices in the 1970s and 1980s. High interest rates made credit difficult to secure. Farmers served as pawns in government-led trade battles and were subject to welfare-style payments to make ends meet.
Many farmers saw the systems were broken, and they decided to repair those challenges themselves.
Those farmers pulled their resources together to campaign for commodity checkoff programs like the soybean checkoff (Indiana Soybean Alliance) and more recently, the corn checkoff (Indiana Corn Marketing Council). These programs promote and provide research and information for farm commodities and are financed, led and benefit the farmers of today and future generations.
Checkoff programs expand corn and soybean exports, create new uses for our crops and improve our farm economy. There are lawmakers in Washington who want to end the checkoffs’ work. As we’ve done in the past, let’s protect our industry.
