Leaders from the U.S. sugar industry are meeting in Colorado this week for the 37th annual International Sweetener Symposium. The Symposium is an annual event hosted by the American Sugar Alliance. Dr. Rob Johansson, Director of Economics and Policy Analysis for the American Sugar Alliance, talks about what farm leaders and industry experts will be discussing.
Director of Economics and Policy Analysis
American Sugar Alliance
“We know that rising input costs and inflation are top of mind for our growers right now. High prices for fertilizer, fuel, pesticides, labor, and transportation have hit our producers in the field and at the factories they own. Our farmers are worried about their bottom line as we head into harvest,” he said.
Johansson says that the Farm Bill is key to providing stability to sugar producers.
“U.S. sugar policy enables our farmers to more effectively compete against imported, heavily subsidized foreign sugar. And it costs taxpayers nothing. Maintaining a strong safety net in the next Farm Bill is going to be critical to our farm economy and our national food security. Our family farmers are resilient, but they need sound federal farm policies to survive,” he said.
In addition to producing a key ingredient in our food supply, the sugar industry also provides a boost to the American economy.
“America’s sugar industry supports family farms and good American jobs. A new study from the ag economists at Texas A&M University found that the U.S. sugar industry supports more than 151,000 jobs and contributes more than $23 billion to the economy each year,” he said.
The American Sugar Alliance contributed to this story.
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Sabrina Halvorson
National Correspondent / AgNet Media, Inc.
Sabrina Halvorson is an award-winning journalist, broadcaster, and public speaker who specializes in agriculture. She primarily reports on legislative issues and hosts The AgNet News Hour and The AgNet Weekly podcast. Sabrina is a native of California’s agriculture-rich Central Valley.