Farmers Ask Congress for ”Energy Escalator Clause” in Farm Bill

Washington – American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) delegates are asking Congress to extend the provisions of the 2002 farm bill with an emphasis on an Energy Escalator Clause due to the impact that higher fuel and fertilizer costs are having on farm profitability.

“Farmers are feeling the pain of rising input costs, including energy prices, and fertilizer prices that have tripled in just the last few years,” said Bob Stallman, AFBF President. “They are clearly looking for relief from costs pressures, which they cannot pass along to their customers.”

Mid-South farmers are considering planting fewer acres of rice and more acres of cotton and soybeans due to concerns about higher diesel and fertilizer prices in 2006. Tim Walker, assistant research professor with the Delta Research and Extension Center at Stoneville, Miss. said, “We don’t see many opportunities for you to save $50 to $60, but there will be times when you can have $15 to $20 here and there that may add up.”

Prof. Walker says that with the high costs of fertilizer, farmers having to change their thinking as to how they apply nitrogen fertilizers if they want to cut down on costs.

AXcess News