Aug 31, 2023

Webinar: How to address ag trade deficit through Farm Bills

An agricultural trade deficit is increasing as the U.S. grows less and imports more fresh produce and other crops.

New research reveals how many acres it would take to balance the U.S. agricultural trade deficit by incentivizing the production of higher-value food crops through farm bill reform. A webinar on the research, “Balancing the U.S. Agricultural Trade Deficit with Higher-Value Food Crops,” will be from noon to 12:45 p.m. Sept. 11.

The webinar is presented by Farm Action, which envisions a “fair, sustainable, and healthy food system that empowers farmers, ranchers, and rural communities to feed their neighbors,” according to a news release. Register for the webinar online.

The presentation will document the decline in domestic production of produce, legumes and whole grains, and the increasing dependence on imports for supplies in the U.S. 

The research will quantify the acreage needed to convert to higher-value food crops in order to balance the trade deficit — and the number is a negligible percentage of the acres, nearly a billion in number, devoted to farming in the U.S., according to the release.

Alison Grantham of Grow Well Consulting will present the research, followed by Joe Maxwell, Farm Action Fund president, who will discuss 2023 and 2028 Farm Bill policies to support a shift toward higher-value crop production.

Farm Action is a farmer-led organization fighting corporate monopolies in agriculture. We envision a fair, sustainable, and healthy food system that empowers farmers, ranchers, and rural communities to feed their neighbors.