Young, Northey visit Red Oak UFC
Congressman David Young and Iowa Agriculture Secretary Bill Northey made a stop in Red Oak last week as part of their “Bringing in the Harvest” Ag tour.
Northey and Young also paid visits to Neola, Clarinda, and Randolph during the tour. The pair were at United Farmers Cooperative, where they met with some local farmers and took a tour of the facility on Tuesday. Young said this was the season when it was good to get out and about.
“You know where to find a lot of farmers at once. It’s harvest time. It’s a time for us to ask questions, and listen. We get to find out what’s happening with their land, the markets, and the community. When these things come up in Congress or anywhere else, I want to make sure I’m knowledgeable enough to make the right decision,” Young said.
Northey agreed with Young, adding it was great to be able to converse with constituents and listen to the challenges they had for the government.
“We get an opportunity to listen to their concerns, and get information on how harvest is going, fertilizer prices, that kind of thing,” Northey said.
Young said the concerns expressed around the various communities were similar in every location.
“We both heard concerns about rules and regulations, and their impact on their farms and the agriculture economy. But we also heard good news on the yields this harvest season. But commodity prices are still low, and input prices are still higher than they should be.
“There was also concern expressed over the death tax. These are all the things I carry back with me to Washington, D.C.,” Young said.
Northey said there were several people who proactively brought up trade, saying it was much needed in the state.
“We need to have the ability to move the big crop that we have. Ag is supportive of trade, and the conversation often gets brought up about what it takes to get more trade agreements to pass,” Northey stated.
Young said 95 percent of the consumers of the world were outside of the United States.
“We want to get into the markets. We’ve got the best products in the world, but they need to get somewhere. They can’t spend all their time sitting in piles next to the CO-OP,” Young advised.
According to Young, they’ll be working on a new farm bill that will address a variety of concerns.
“We’ll make sure there’s a safety net for crop insurance. If the farmers can’t have that safety net, it will drive up prices for them and for the consumers. Water quality will be an issue, as well as conservation and renewable fuels. The more competition we can create at the pump, the more people will choose biofuels and ethanol to fill their tanks,” Young said.
United Farmers Cooperative general manager John Pruss said it was exciting to be able to host Young and Northey on their visit.
“This place is a dynamic location with its size and volume. It’s always nice to show it off. I’m proud of what we’ve done here, and this is their first visit to our Red Oak location,” Pruss said.