Looking ahead – Recovery & rebuilding

It’s safe to say that the year 2020 is unlike any we’ve ever seen and one that we will never forget. In a year that started with economic prosperity, including a rising agricultural economy, we are now facing economic uncertainty, with numerous and significant challenges facing U.S. agriculture. Even though these challenges seem insurmountable, agriculture has risen to the challenge. Since the pandemic hit our shores, our nation’s agriculture operations, including our farmers, ranchers, dealers, manufacturers and others, stepped up to the plate. Each day, our industry continues to work, ensuring farmers have the tools they need to have a successful yield. With the public’s health and welfare in mind, there is no better example of “critical infrastructure” than our nation’s farmer and ranchers.

Speaking of critical infrastructure, in order to understand where we are now, in terms of COVID-19 policy and programs, let’s look at where we were back in March, when the government started taking action to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

Housed in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Administration. Formed in 2018, this agency was created to continue the work of the National Protection and Programs Directorate to protect the nation’s physical and cyber critical infrastructure and key resources from terrorist attacks, natural disasters and other catastrophic incidents. Needless to say, this agency that not many people had heard of was suddenly under the microscope given the numerous stay-at-home-orders that were being implemented throughout the United States.

The Irrigation Association was active with CISA, the White House and Congress from the day the stay-at-home orders started taking affect. The main goal of the IA was to ensure that all parts of agricultural production, from the farmers up to the manufacturers who make agricultural equipment could continue to work, ensuring our nation continues to have a safe and reliable food supply. Unfortunately, the closing of schools, hotels, restaurants and other entertainment venues proved to be a great challenge for agriculture — a challenge that continues today. The IA will remain steadfast in working with policymakers to stabilize agricultural production, while providing resources to redirect yield, such as fruits, vegetables and meat, to where consumers are.

Relief & recovery

COVID-19 relief efforts, such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Coronavirus Food Assistance Program, was just the beginning. As Congress returns to some sort of a new normal, work has already begun on efforts to rebuild our nation’s economy. The IA is working with Congress and the administration to promote investment in programs that will build the road to recovery. To aid Congress and the irrigation industry, the IA released its Framework for Economic Recovery document, outlining several steps Congress should take to stabilize and grow our agricultural economy. This framework includes proposals such as

• immediate financial assistance for farmers in the form of financing, conservation program funding and tax incentives.
• investment in our aging water infrastructure, including increased storage and reuse opportunities.
• eliminating trade barriers for agricultural commodities to be sold globally.

The full framework is available at www.irrigation.org.

The IA is working with Congress and the administration to promote investment in programs that will build the road to recovery. 

While our nation continues to reopen and rebuild our economy, our work is far from done. The IA stands with our nation’s manufacturers, dealers and agricultural partners in rebuilding our economy at a pace consistent with protecting public health. We have a long road ahead, but the IA is well-poised to continue making a difference, advocating for the importance of irrigated agriculture to the United States and the world.

John Farner is the government and public affairs director for the Irrigation Association and federal affairs director for the National Ground Water Association.