US farmer worried Biden's policies put industry in jeopardy
Inflation, energy, and labor costs are a major concern for one struggling NJ farm
FOX Business’ Madison Alworth reports live from a struggling grain and vegetable farm in New Jersey to discuss how the Biden administration’s policies have impacted local farms.
A U.S. farmer is sounding the alarm over the Biden administration’s crippling policies as the U.S., for the first time in history, is set to import more agriculture products than it exports.
FOX Business’ Madison Alworth, on Friday, reported live from a grain and vegetable farm struggling to get by because of high energy, inflation and labor costs.
"The USDA is saying that for the first time ever the U.S. is going to import more food than we export," Alworth noted on "Mornings with Maria," adding that it would further the U.S.’s dependence on foreign nations.
Some farmers in the West have been forced to sell of cattle, while others have been forced to shut down operations completely
Nicole Ort Moke, the manager of Ort Farms, in Long Valley, New Jersey, is putting the onus on leaders and politicians to "step up" and "protect American agriculture."
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"We have the ability to feed our people and feed the world and have a good position in the world market," Moke told Alworth. "If the policies don’t allow us to take advantage of the opportunity, it’s really detrimental to the industry, detrimental to small businesses and our national security."
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Raging inflation has put a major dent in American homestead profits. Data from the Bureau Labor of Statics revealed energy costs rose 41.6%, the price of tools went up 10.6%, new trucks increased 11.1% and the price of rent or shelter shot up 5.7%.
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Moke said current policies are driving up input costs and driving down profits on the farm, especially when it comes to fertilizer prices which rose 45% year-over-year.
In addition to politically-induced hardships, farmers in the Northeast are dealing with another stressor -- labor laws.
The U.S. will import more food that it exports, according to the USDA. (Harold Hoch BC Last Look RNP Images (Photo By Harold Hoch/MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle via Getty Images) / Getty Images)
New York is the latest state to pass overtime pay for agricultural workers after 40 hours. The New Jersey farmer said if labor policies similar to New York's came across the border, it would be incredibly detrimental to their bottom line.
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"If [New Jersey labor laws] would change, I think it would cause at least a 10% to 15% cost, and we would have to probably end up looking for more labor and giving them less hours, which would be a direct challenge in itself. But it would be very hard to navigate," Moke said.