Michigan Farm Bureau President Ben LaCross attended an agriculture event at the White House at the end of March.
The Great American Agriculture Celebration included talks of year-round sale of E15, a new farm bill, the rollback of diesel exhaust fluid, the promise of additional farmer aid, to name a few.
LaCross, a Leelanau cherry farmer, was among 1,000 other agriculture leaders to attend the event on the South Lawn.
“Michigan was well represented,” LaCross said. “We have to feed the country. Farming is a noble and worthwhile profession.”
LaCross added that prominent Michigan corn and potato growers were in attendance.
LaCross admits that this is a trying time for farmers as input costs continue to go up while low profits drag on.
LaCross wants a new farm bill as there hasn’t been one since 2018 with the current one extended to end at the end of September this year. LaCross met with members of the administration including U.S. Trade Rep. Jamieson Greer and Julie Callahan and their staff. He was told they are “laser focused” on trade deals and understand the importance of defending domestic markets from foreign imports, especially cherries.
“I’m trusting Speaker Johnson. … I’m trusting (Congress) to find a deal that works for farmers, consumers and refiners, including small and mid-sized refiners, and they’re going to send me a(n) (E15) bill, and we should be able to get that done. We’ve worked with the refiners before, and we’re going to get that done today,” LaCross said.
