by: Arsenio Toledo
(Natural News) Inflation is still a persistent issue in the U.S. – especially for American farmers, who are about to start this year’s planting season in the next few weeks.
According to a Gallup poll published on Jan. 30, 15 percent of Americans view inflation as the biggest problem facing America today – second only to government and poor leadership. John Boyd, a fourth-generation farmer and the president of the National Black Farmers Association, noted that inflation concerns still affect the agriculture industry and the Joe Biden administration isn’t doing anything about it.
“Inflation is certainly affecting my farming operation and many other farm operations across the country,” warned Boyd in an interview on Newsmax. “Equipment [prices] is up 14 percent… Diesel fuel is at an all-time high. Fertilizer, at an all-time high. These are all input costs for America’s farmers.”
He noted that the Biden administration has not provided any real relief for American farmers. “President Biden has not met with leaders like myself to discuss the problems that we’re facing,” he said.
Boyd added that his organization gets calls every day from farmers on the verge of foreclosure. His organization has also attempted to lobby Congress about providing farmers with some kind of relief, possibly including a moratorium on loan payments.
“We have many farmers in our organization right now who are facing foreclosure, and the administration continues to turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to America’s farmers,” he said. “All of these farmers are losing their farms, while we continue to ignore the issue and the cries and pleas of America’s farmers across the country.”
If inflation keeps crippling farmers, consumers will inevitably pay more for groceries
“I don’t know if the American people went to the supermarket lately, but the price of eggs has just about tripled,” noted Boyd. “Everything you pick up in a supermarket, the price has pretty much doubled over the past year, year and a half.” (Related: Democrat-induced food inflation set to continue into 2023, offering hard-pressed American families no relief.)
J.J. Goicoechea, a cattle rancher and the director of the Nevada Department of Agriculture, warned Americans that the price of groceries – including beef – will likely keep rising due to inflation and a lower supply of cattle.
Goicoechea noted that high costs for energy, feed and fertilizer will keep driving food prices higher, especially beef. Without any significant relief or action from the Biden administration, these high prices could persist for years.
“The American consumer needs to be prepared that they’re going to pay more at the grocery store for their groceries, and that includes beef.”
In 2022, food prices rose by 9.9 percent. The price of beef and veal rose by 5.3 percent, while eggs had the largest 2022 inflation rate at 32.2 percent.
“Inflation is still a huge problem for American farmers, cattle producers in general,” said Goicoechea, who noted that the higher costs of raising cattle lead to ranchers preferring smaller herds, which then means a lower supply of beef and higher prices.
“Everything that people buy at the hardware store, the grocery store, the fuel pump – us ranchers and farmers have to buy that, but on a bigger scale.”
Echoing Boyd’s concern about farmers shutting down their operations, Goicoechea noted that he has seen many ranchers liquidating their herds, opting to continue raising cattle in the near future when prices have settled.
Goicoechea predicted that this situation could keep prices high for the next two to three years as the industry struggles to rebuild.
“We continue to feed the nation … and we will continue to do so,” he said. “We just need some help from the government, less regulation, a little more support and get out of our way.”
Learn more about rising food prices at FoodInflation.news.
Watch this clip from Newsmax featuring host Shaun Kraisman’s full interview with John Boyd regarding how inflation is continuing to bankrupt American farmers.
This video is from the News Clips channel on Brighteon.com.