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Congressman: Consumers of farm products could change the course of political makeup

Consumers of food from farms could change the course of political makeup in Congress on Nov. 8 and whether the nation’s rural economy is robust may be a tipping point two years from now.

The consumer will be heard at the polls as agriculture remains the number one industry in Pennsylvania, according to U.S. Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson, R-Howard, who is running against Democrat Michael Molesevich of Lewisburg.

Inside a storage shelter at Eck’s Agway in Jersey Shore, Thompson, who represents the 15th

Congressional District, listened to farmers and other residents of this western Lycoming County borough surrounded by farmland express their concerns.

They spoke about the inflationary pressures on them, cost to produce, their return on dairy products, spiking gasoline and diesel prices, higher costs for fertilizer, and a generation of people who are pouring almond, cashew and pea milk on cereals and making smoothies from what doesn’t come from dairy cows.

Thompson, who leads the Committee on Agriculture, said many items in the current Farm Bill, which legislatively ends in September 2023, need to be put under review.

The federal legislation impacts farmers, ranchers, foresters and businesses such as feed mills and merchandisers servicing the rural communities, he said.

Rural economy is vital in Pennsylvania and the Northeast

One out of every seven jobs is directly related to agriculture, whether that be general farming, dairy farms, ranching, sales, food processing and production and transportation products, Thompson said.

Concerns were expressed about smaller family farms dying out and loss of family farms to green energy such as solar panels fields and windmills.

While Thompson said he is not against green energy, he noted how these kinds of alternative sources of power should not replace productive farmlands.

Science, technology and innovation are fine but the side of the American farmer must be heard, he said.

For example, methane gas — that which is emitted from the dairy cattle and beef cattle and other types of creatures that live on farms — is necessary, he claimed.

“We need carbon,” Thompson said.

While it is true that plants and some algae do absorb carbon dioxide (CO2) and release oxygen (O2) through the process of photosynthesis, plants lack the ability to do the same for methane gas (CH4).

What he said is occurring in some circles on the political left is Democrats “made science political science.”

“The data and the science is on our side,” he said. “We need American farmers and those in rural areas to tell our stories.”

Labeling farmers as climate criminals is wrong, he said and that will result in neglecting consumer needs. Providing them with incentives such as waivers on inheritance tax might be a start toward keeping family farms going, he noted.

A dairy farm advocate

As for the consumption of dairy products and milk, consumers have been misled about the nutritional value of dairy and milk — notwithstanding the people who may have some sort of a medical allergy.

Whole milk is not the enemy and not the cause of heart attack and diabetes, Thompson said.

Since 2010, through a child nutrition bill and when advertisements began to proliferate in support of other kinds of milk alternatives, the nation lost an entire generation of milk drinkers, even as the truth is that whole milk contains 3.25% milk fat, he explained.

Still, milk and dairy products remain the “biggest commodity in the state of Pennsylvania,” he said. Just look at the Farm Show in Harrisburg, and the butter sculpture display and the milkshakes sold.

Not surprisingly, whole milk made a comeback during the COVID-19 pandemic, as consumers cooped up and working from home went to stores to drink it. That actually helped farmers as consumption of milk and dairy products rose once people were forced to stay indoors more and gravitated toward milk consumption, he said.

Other milk support came from grassroots organizations such as 97 Milk, he said.

To further support the challenges dairy farmers face Thompson said it was important to inform families that whole milk is healthy for kids and adults.

“I’m an advocate for milk,” he said. “I’ve got milk and sawdust in my blood.”

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