Nebraska Farm Bureau members advocate for agriculture in our nation’s capital. (from left, back row) Parker Jessen (Morrill County), Mark McHargue, NEFB president (Merrick County), Matthew Erickson (Johnson County) (front row) Chris Popken (Dodge County), and Dawn Kucera NEFB Ag Promotion At-Large representative on the NEFB Board (Madison County).
LINCOLN — A delegation of Nebraska Farm Bureau (NEFB) members traveled to Washington, D.C. to push for key agricultural policies that will benefit Nebraska farmers and ranchers.
Their discussions centered on securing a robust new Farm Bill, expanding trade with new international partners, and extending the provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. The visit featured a meeting with U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke Rollins, who listened to the concerns and priorities from a combined group of farm and ranch Farm Bureau members from Nebraska, Iowa, and Illinois.
“As producers in agriculture, the Farm Bill provides a vital safety net which helps ensure a strong domestic food supply for our nation’s citizens as well as international customers around the world,” said Mark McHargue, president of Nebraska Farm Bureau. “During our meeting with Secretary Rollins, we emphasized the importance of preserving the federal crop insurance program and providing solutions to roll back California’s Proposition 12 and Massachusetts’ Question 3. It’s critical that one state’s decision does not dictate production practices nationwide.”
The Nebraska Farm Bureau delegation also discussed important reforms to USDA’s disaster programs, including enhancing flexibility in the face of natural disasters. They advocated for increased funding for the Foreign Market Development (FMD) and Market Assistance Programs (MAP) and for prioritizing working lands conservation programs like the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). Additionally, they pushed for limiting Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres to marginal, highly erodible, and non-productive land, while capping rental rates.
The expansion of agricultural trade continues to be a top priority for Nebraska Farm Bureau. After several years lackluster efforts by the Biden administration to expand markets, Nebraska’s farmers and ranchers are busy working through the many actions taken in the first few months of President Donald Trump’s second term.
“Under the first Trump administration, tariffs were imposed, and new trade deals were struck, however, we saw minimal progress on trade issues under the Biden Administration,” McHargue explained. “Since Inauguration Day, tariffs have been applied and threatened on Chinese products, Canadian and Mexican goods, and all steel and aluminum imports. Both Canada and China have retaliated with tariffs, and the European Union plans to impose tariffs on U.S. products soon. We urged the President to prioritize the expansion of trade with new international partners and to take steps to ensure that farmers and ranchers don’t bear the brunt of any extended trade wars,” McHargue added.
The delegation also emphasized the need to extend key provisions from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) of 2017, which are set to expire on December 31, 2025. These provisions have provided significant tax relief for farm and ranch businesses, and without an extension, Nebraska’s farm and ranch families would face increased taxes.
“The TCJA has been a lifeline for many of our family farms. Provisions like the reduced pass-through tax rates, bonus depreciation, the increased estate tax exemption, along with many others have reduced federal taxes on all our nation’s citizens,” McHargue said. “Letting the TCJA expire would harm family farms across the country.” In addition to meeting with Nebraska’s congressional delegation, the Nebraska Farm Bureau members also met with officials from the Canadian Embassy, the Renewable Fuels Association, and the White House Office of Public Liaison to discuss key issues affecting Nebraska agriculture.
Participating Nebraska Farm Bureau members included:
• Mark McHargue, NEFB President – Merrick County Farm Bureau
• Matthew Erickson – Johnson County Farm Bureau
• Chris Popken – Dodge County Farm Bureau
• Parker Jessen – Morrill County Farm Bureau
• Dawn Kucera – Madison County Farm Bureau
The Nebraska Farm Bureau is a grassroots, state-wide organization dedicated to supporting farm and ranch families and advocating for policies that benefit all Nebraskans. With more than 56,000 member families across Nebraska, the organization works to ensure agriculture remains a vital force in the state’s economy. For more information, visit www.nefb.org.
