Russia’s war against Ukraine is hitting Americans in the pocketbook and many overseas in the stomach. From soaring food costs to skyrocketing fuel prices, the war in Ukraine is taking a painful toll at home and abroad. Ukrainian grain exports have collapsed, and Western sanctions limit Russian oil and fertilizer exports.
Photo by James Baltz on Unsplash
Experts say all of this makes U.S. and European moves to boost overland Ukraine grain shipments and Western production critical.
“We can help our farmers increase their yield. And even just a bushel increase in yield above and beyond what their normal baseline is, what they would normally expect to be able to produce, may be a life saved somewhere in the world,” said House Ag Ranking Member Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson.
Food prices are up 10 to 20 percent at home and abroad. In rural areas in the US, inflation is up 130 percent more than that of urban areas, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
The NAFB 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.