Farmers and ranchers in the United States remain doubtful that the Biden administration would be a good partner.
Farmer morale was shaken by President Donald Trump’s approach to trade ties with an adversarial China, but most farmers stayed loyal to the former president going into the 2020 election because of his hard stands against environmental regulation. Furthermore, President Barack Obama’s image among American farmers as an over-regulator, especially in light of the 2015 Waters of the United States regulation, hasn’t helped the Biden administration.
President Biden will need to accept technology and its position in the future of farming if he wants to gain the support of America’s farmers. Technology will feed an increasing global population while also laying the groundwork for agriculture’s position in environmental protection.
New practices and technologies that lower seed, fertilizer, and labor costs will also help America’s smaller producers prosper financially, while also implementing developments that will undoubtedly pique the interest of younger farmers and ranchers, enabling them to remain on the family farm.
Take, for example, the John Deere R4038 sprayer. To distinguish agronomic plants from weeds and soil, John Deere employs Blue River See and Spray technology. As a result, the technology will provide precisely the right amount of chemical sprays to the right kind of plants with the least amount of waste. What does this suggest for farmers and the people who purchase their produce? It translates to farmer productivity, lower commodity prices, and, most significantly, reduced environmental effects.
Others, such as Bushel, provide farmers with technologies such as precise chemical sprays, integrated applications, and other technology to help them be more effective and successful in their farming.
Crop and livestock growth are monitored, feed prices and fertilizer distribution are controlled, and other everyday farm activities are tracked faster and more accurately than any human estimate could.
President Biden should make strategic financial support a top priority in order to promote further research and development so that inventions like the ones mentioned above will prosper.
The administration can have incentives for voluntary renewable energy activities if climate change is a specified target. However, the administration should seek to keep the Farm Bill’s much-needed safety net while allowing for these incentives. The legislation package was enacted in 1985 to provide farmers with incentives such as risk insurance for those who face yield, crop, or farm income losses through financial assistance if certain criteria are met.
