by Nadia Ramlagan,Public News Service
Potential steps include ending foreign farmland ownership, blocking a U.S. Department of Agriculture rule mandating farmers use electronic ID tags on livestock, supporting low-wage farmworkers, and ending lobbying by global food corporations - said Joe Maxwell, chief strategy officer for Farm Action.
The latest federal data show net farm income dropped by more than 4% this year, after declining by nearly 20% in 2023.
Maxwell said West Virginia voters overwhelmingly support reforms to break up major corporations' hold on the nation's food system.
"Eighty-eight percent of rural voters in battleground states during this last election cycle," said Maxwell, "say they would be more favorable toward a candidate who supports cracking down on meat processing monopolies and ensuring local businesses can compete."
Maxwell predicted that food producers will likely be hit harder by President Donald Trump's tariff plan.
The nation's largest food and agriculture legislation, known as the Farm Bill, expired last fall, and lawmakers have yet to agree on a new version.
This month, Congress passed a one year extension of the 2018 Farm Bill, with $10 billion in economic aid to farmers and temporary funding for federal farm programs.
Maxwell said a new Farm Bill would offer a chance to make major changes to benefit small farmers and consumers, and boost local supply chains.
"We believe with the current environment" said Maxwell, "it is reasonable to have the perfect opportunity to get both parties pushing for antitrust reform and action within the next two years."
According to a Farm Action report, between 2017 and 2022, more than 140,000 farmers nationwide went out of business.
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