(JAMESTOWN, N.D.) – North Dakota Farmers Union President Mark Watne directly challenged North Dakota’s Congressional delegation to proactively engage in finding solutions to the economic situation family farmers and ranchers face, largely due to rampant input costs and reckless decisions by the Trump Administration.
“We are feeling the pain and being thrown to the sidelines to fail,” Watne said of tariff wars that have decimated soybean and other export grain markets, and a recent announcement by President Trump to quadruple the amount of beef imported from Argentina. “Our cattle ranchers are finally getting a fair price for the work they do and the investments they’ve made, and the Administration responds by undermining that effort rather than investing in solutions that put more American beef on consumers’ plates.”
Calling it both a short-term and a fundamental long-range issue, Watne pushed North Dakota’s congressional delegation to step up. “We appreciate their efforts, but it simply isn’t enough to address the multifaceted issues that are hitting us from all sides,” he said.
Watne urged the delegation to educate the White House on production agriculture and share their plan for how the current situation benefits North Dakota producers, as well as identify long-term solutions instead of quick fixes.
“We need proactive solutions that include trade expansion, more value-added projects, biofuel development, infrastructure improvements, stricter antitrust enforcement, truth in labeling, and a vision to keep us ahead of the world in producing food, fiber and energy,” said Watne. “Our protectionist approach will only make the U.S. a residual supplier to the world.”
Also hanging over farmers and ranchers right now, Watne said, is the expiration of Affordable Care Act premium tax credits. “If those credits aren’t extended, roughly 70% of farm families in North Dakota will see their health insurance premiums double. How much more can we take?” he said.
