Stay Informed

American Farm Bureau released its first assessment of the impact on farmers and ranchers of the national mitigation efforts to combat COVID-19. 

In a letter to USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue, AFBF President Zippy Duvall outlined concerns from Farm Bureau members across the country. Topping the list of concerns are:

• Labor – The State Department has suspended processing of all new, non-emergency visa applications in Mexico, and U.S. farms and ranches – which use more than 250,000 H-2A workers every year – could face a serious labor shortage. Farm Bureau is calling on the administration to find a safe measure to ensure these skilled workers can come to U.S. farms and ranches.
• Supply chain issues – Meat packing plants, dairy processors, ethanol plants and other processing facilities could be affected, as could farmers’ access to seed, fertilizer and crop protection tools.
• Price manipulation – Livestock producers have concerns regarding market manipulation, and Duvall urged USDA to monitor the situation to protect ranchers and consumers alike from price manipulation. In the fresh produce market, growers have expressed concerns regarding possible dumping of products from other countries.

Indiana Farm Bureau President Randy Kron also has been meeting with members of the Indiana congressional delegation regarding H-2A.

“We are making certain that Congress and the administration fully understand the impact H-2A guest workers have on farmers throughout Indiana,” said Kron.

A variety of resources to help Indiana farmers weather the COVID-19 crisis have been assembled on the INFB website. 

On that page can be found links to the Centers for Disease Control and the Indiana State Department of Health, but also ag-specific links such as the American Veterinary Medical Association's COVID-19 website and information from the Food and Drug Administration on food safety and the coronavirus.