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Hawkins: farmer bridge is a band-aid, Congress must act

The president of Missouri Farm Bureau says he’s disappointed there have been some delays from Congress on more farmer assistance, but “I’m not giving up hope by any means.”

Garrett Hawkins tells Brownfield it’s been challenging for issues to move through Congress.

“We’re going to continue to work on that additional funding and as an organization, it was clear coming out of our national convention and annual meeting, we have to continue to work on policies that provide greater market opportunities.”

And while he says USDA’s Farmer Bridge Assistance Program should be helpful to Missouri farmers, Hawkins says it’s a band-aid to a greater problem.

“We must find ways to take advantage of the new trade deals the administration is working on. Those need to be translated into real, meaningful sales of our commodities. We need E15 and to continue to boost domestic demand for commodities.”

Hawkins says he’ll continue to watch closely the next steps from Congress.