WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, today met with members of the Illinois Soybean Association and the American Soybean Association to discuss the severe downturn in the farm economy. Topics ranged from the importance of a full, five-year Farm Bill, strong crop insurance programs, and the financial harm caused by federal trade policies that have damaged the Chinese market for Illinois soybeans. The group also discussed increased expenses for diesel and fertilizer after U.S. military attacks on Iran and the standstill of shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
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“Today, I hosted the Illinois Soybean Association to discuss the state of the farm economy. I believe the Trump Administration has broken its promise to farmers. These tariffs, the President’s surprise war with Iran, his damage to the bipartisan Farm Bill coalition, abandoning E15 as a top priority, cutting USDA staff and research – every one of these actions have added up to make farming just too expensive,” Durbin said. “I will keep working to speak out on these decisions that harm Illinois agriculture and to support the polices that will return certainty and predictability to the farm economy.”
