NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
ALDEN, Kan. — Kansas U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. was in Alden in Rice County Saturday morning to give the Rice County Farm Bureau an update on what's going on in Washington.
"As we see a 25% drop in farm income this year, the largest drop that I can ever remember, I think that these people are living that," Marshall said. "When I sit there and make priorities for what I should do or should not be doing, these folks remind me exactly what my priorities should be. Regardless the toughness of the economy, they are more concerned about the southern border, so I need to stay focused on securing the border, then whatever we can do to help rural America, the importance of a farm bill. To me, it's about setting priorities."
Marshall told those in attendance that as the farm bill sits right now, it's not a bill they would want. He'd actually like to see control of the Senate change before they set a new one in stone. Even though neither Kansas U.S. Senator is up for election in the fall, he sees a change as realistic.
"I think that there's a very good chance that we'll flip the Senate," Marshall said. "I think that we have opportunities in Montana and Ohio. West Virginia, for all practical purpose, has flipped. These are states that President Trump won by wide margins that have Democrat Senators. I think we can flip those, but it doesn't do us any good to have control of the Senate, if we don't have control of the White House, as well. Joe Biden would veto the type of farm bill that would help rural America. His focus is always going to be these environmental issues."
It's not that farmers aren't concerned about the environment, to the contrary, Marshall notes that farmers were the original conservationists.
"It's what we're going to hand off to our children and grandchildren," Marshall said. "I'm a fifth generation farm kid land from both sides of my family are still here. The land is better today than it was when my grandfathers farmed it, because we care about the land. We need to just empower American agriculture to do what they always do and get the government out of the micromanagement business."
Marshall noted that about five percent of the farm bill goes to American farmers. About 85% goes to food programs.