During every farm bill cycle, we get asked to provide updates at county, regional, state-wide, and national meetings in the years leading up to the bill, during bill development, and in instances where it appears progress has stalled – like now. Sometimes the message is not fun to deliver. But, it’s the job, and it’s better to give an honest assessment than to sugarcoat the situation and have a producer think things are better than they are and make a bad financial decision because we didn’t want to come off as being too negative. One of us (the old one) has been referred to by just about everyone in Texas as Dr. Doom for most of his 30plus year career in agricultural policy, and he wouldn’t have it any other way. Why? Because of the hundreds of producers that have told us we truly helped them by giving them our honest – and most of the times blunt – assessment of the situation.
A producer recently sent an email with the following questions. “If Congress doesn’t value what we do enough to provide a meaningful safety net… why should we keep risking hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars per year trying to make a crop? Should I just quit and do something else?” [READ MORE]