Geopolitical events can have an impact on Missouri’s economy driving up or down prices depending on what is happening.
Rep. Mike Haffner, R-Pleasant Hill, who co-chairs the Missouri Legislature’s Joint Committee on Agriculture, is keeping an eye on what’s happening in the news.
“We are in very uncertain times because of a very unstable national security situation,” said Haffner. “What I mean by that with this concept of terror that is going on literally all across the world. All of these have impacts on the international marketplace and also influence the ability to supply to Missouri agriculture.”
Case in point, he intends to reintroduce a piece of legislation that failed to pass this year that would prevent certain countries from buying ANY Missouri land and restrict foreign ownership of farmland.
He said regulations at the federal level dictate cutting back commercial fertilizer and reducing livestock.
“The Environmental social governance, of course we need to take care of our environment, but this is an overstep where certain aspects of society and making a determination as to who can get loans and it’s got nothing to do with the marketplace. It comes down to preference,” according to Haffner.
At issue, according to Haffner, is the need for farmers to increase their production given the increased national and global need.
“We’ve got to take care of the environment, but we’ve got to do it in a reasonable manner,” Haffner said. “There are some countries overseas, especially in Europe, that are doing massive cutbacks in fertilizer. They’re doing massive cutbacks in the number of animals, specifically in cattle, specifically in hogs, specifically with poultry. They’re not going to be able to meet their food supply.”
He calls this an “overreach” by the federal government.
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