Research / Agriculture

Webinar | September 2020
COVID-19 and American Agriculture
The agriculture sector has been hit particularly hard by the COVID-19 pandemic and accompanying quarantine policies. Many of the largest purchasers of agricultural products—including restaurants, schools and hotels—have closed or operated at limited capacity for months due to the pandemic. With a supply chain built around these buyers and a shortage of workers, many farmers have been forced to destroy crops, dairy and dairy-related products, and livestock. Dairy farmers have been dumping millions of gallons of milk; chicken processors are destroying hundreds of thousands of eggs; and vegetable farmers are plowing acres of fields. This program outlines how the agriculture sector is responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and the outlook for American farmers.
Presentations:
Allison Crittenden, Director, Congressional Relations, American Farm Bureau Federation, Washington, D.C.
Michael Nepveux, Economist, American Farm Bureau Federation, Washington, D.C.

Webinar | July 2020
Implications of Recent Trade Agreements for the American Farm
Addressing Mental Health in Rural Communities
Agriculture & Rural Development Committee Virtual Program
Implications of Recent Trade Agreements for the American Farm
Many in the agriculture sector have heralded the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement and the Phase-One Agreement with China as unparalleled opportunities to provide their products to growing consumer bases and to promote free and fair trade. This program provides a briefing on these two important trade deals and explores how they could impact the U.S. agricultural sector, especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Presentation:
Addressing Mental Health in Rural Communities
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suicides among farmers are 1.5 times higher than the national average. Experts warn that rising farm debt, limited access to mental health resources, harvests impacted by extreme weather, and the lingering impacts of a long-running trade war with China—and now the COVID-19 pandemic—all are contributing to significant stress among those in the agriculture community. This program examines initiatives to increase awareness of rural stress issues and warning signs; identify ways to communicate and cope with stress; and access local resources and support.
Presentation:
Keith Mueller, Head of the Department of Health Management and Policy, University of Iowa
Policy Analysis | June 2020
Federal Assistance To Farms Amid The COVID-19 Pandemic
As of June 29, 2020, the coronavirus has infected 8 million and contributed to 440,000 deaths worldwide; including 2.2 million cases and nearly 120,000 deaths in the United States.1 For more on the virus, see the SLC policy analyses, Unemployment in the SLC Region Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic, Spread of COVID-19 within Regions of the United States, Coronavirus Impacts on State Legislatures and Elections and Coronavirus Response at State Unemployment Agencies.
The agriculture sector has been hit particularly hard by the coronavirus and accompanying quarantine policies. Many of the largest buyers of agricultural products—including restaurants, schools and hotels—have closed or operated at limited capacity for months due to the pandemic. With a supply chain built around these buyers, many farmers have been forced to destroy crops, dairy and dairy-related products, and livestock. Dairy farmers have been dumping millions of gallons of milk; chicken processors are destroying hundreds of thousands of eggs; and vegetable farmers are plowing acres of fields.2 Meanwhile, coronavirus outbreaks at meatpacking plants have created a backlog of pigs to be slaughtered, forcing some farmers to euthanize tens of thousands of their pigs.3
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SLC Agriculture & Rural Development Committee
2020-2021
Chair

Senator
Casey Murdock
Oklahoma
2020-2021
Vice Chair

Senator
Tyler Harper
Georgia
Immediate
Past Chair

Senator
Daniel B. Verdin III
South Carolina
The SLC Agriculture & Rural Development Committee's agenda focuses on issues critical to the future of farming and farm communities, such as the distribution of water and other natural resources – critical for the agricultural sector – and new opportunities for the export of agricultural commodities to international markets. Several reports prepared by the committee have measured the economic impact of the agricultural sector, often considered the "engine of the economy" in most Southern states. The committee's work also centers on the continued development of rural communities, highlighting access to healthcare and transportation; integration with the global economy; the many differences and surprising similarities between rural and urban America; and how to bridge the infrastructure challenges that divide these communities.
More SLC Research into Agriculture
SLC Regional Resource | January 2020
Other | December 2019
SLC Regional Resource | April 2019
Weathering the Storm: Assessing the Agricultural Impact of Hurricane Michael
Other | January 2019
Policy Analysis | October 2018
Policy Analysis | May 2018
Policy Analysis | April 2018
Webinar | June 2017
Recent Developments in Agriculture and Food Law: Impacts on the States
SLC Regional Resource | December 2016
Policy Analysis | September 2016
Policy Analysis | November 2015
SLC Regional Resource | January 2015
A Bountiful Harvest: SLC States and the 2012 Census of Agriculture
Webinar | October 2014
Policy Analysis | September 2014
SLC Issue Alert | June 2014
Webinar | May 2013
Food Safety Modernization Act: Impacts for Farmers, Producers and States
SLC Regional Resource | July 2011
Policy Analysis | October 2010
SLC Regional Resource | June 2006
SLC Regional Resource | April 2006
SLC Regional Resource | July 2005
SLC Regional Resource | January 2005
SLC Regional Resource | September 2002
SLC Special Series Report | February 2002
SLC Regional Resource | July 2001
SLC Regional Resource | August 2000
SLC Regional Resource | March 2000