Between the 2022 mid-term elections this fall and the farm bill conversations already in the works, the agricultural retail industry is gearing up for more changes and, hopefully, a few policy improvements.
Gearing up for Farm Bill Talks
The Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA) membership decided on the association’s top policy priorities, as it does annually, and one was to amplify the ag retailer’s voice during the farm bill reauthorization process in Washington. Specifically, ARA will advocate to:
- preserve the crop insurance program;
- ensure ag retailers are the private-sector leaders in carbon credit markets;
- work with the USDA Risk Management Agency (RMA) to modify prevented planting dates
- to lessen potential impact on farmers;
- continue encouraging ARA members to contact local RMA offices to express concerns and provide pertinent data regarding impacts because USDA should continuously review prevented planting dates to ensure the dates reflect advances in technologies; and
- maintain current acreage dedicated to conservation programs (e.g., CRP, CSP) and
- protect working lands.
The Ag Retailer’s Voice
ARA knows that when members of Congress see our industry’s work firsthand, it impacts their work on Capitol Hill. Connecting retailers and legislators ensures the retailer’s voice is heard loud and clear.
As farm bill talks continue amid growing concerns of supply chain issues, increasing costs of doing business and a global food shortage, members of Congress will want to hear directly from the trusted advisers who support American farmers.
During the August recess, your elected officials are heading back to their districts to meet with constituents like you about what you would like to see happen in Washington. Add a tour of your facility to your legislator’s summer schedule to pave a path of proactive conversations focused on providing ag retailers and their farmer-customers with the essential tools and policies they need to feed the world’s growing population.
ARA Congressional Facility Guide
ARA created the Congressional Facility Visit Guide to give its membership a step-by-step resource for hosting a successful visit that will foster lasting relationships with elected officials. The guide includes best practices and media samples.
Many legislators and their staff in Washington have little knowledge about the value and services ag retailers provide. The goal of inviting a member of Congress to tour your facility is to educate the legislator and staff about what your company does each day to support employees, farmer-customers, the community and environmental stewardship.
ARA’s Congressional Facility Visit Guide is one of the association’s most comprehensive member resources and critical to our industry’s grassroots advocacy efforts. It empowers our industry to serve as a key adviser to elected officials as they consider policy proposals impacting agriculture.
Find a public document with quick tips from ARA’s Congressional Facility Visit Guide at www.aradc.org to get started. To download the full guide, join ARA as a member and play an active role in advocating for your industry’s best interests.
One voice in Washington won’t make enough noise, but all of our voices together cannot be ignored. By joining ARA, you help us better represent the ag retailer’s interests while saving your business the time and resources it takes to monitor federal regulations and legislation that infringes on your freedom to operate.
30 Years of ARA
This year marks 30 years of ARA advocating and educating federal regulators and legislators in our nation’s capital. Join ARA in commemorating this milestone as the only national nonprofit trade association dedicated solely to the American ag retailer by attending the 2022 ARA Conference & Expo, held Nov. 29 through Dec. 1 in San Diego, California.
“Navigating the Channels of Ag Retail” is this year’s theme for the keynote speakers, breakout sessions and industry panels. The 30th anniversary of ARA will bring together some of our industry’s pioneering leaders as well as the emerging future leaders of ag retail.
