Farming
- Climate change will impact Missouri’s farmland significantly. We must protect against this environmental threat that shows up as drought, floods, invasive insect and fungal species, more fertilizer and heavy metal contamination in groundwater and soil, and an increase in animal and human diseases.
- Farmers should receive funding and subsidies for conservation efforts such as adopting energy-efficient equipment, technology improvements, and land remediation.
- Instead of subsidizing large agribusiness corporations, farmers should get a fair price for their crops, reduce overproduction, and get paid for conserving American farmland. The government should provide loans to cover the production costs, with the option to buy from a private buyer if prices are high. If prices are low, the government should buy the crops back to cover the cost of the loan and store extra crops in reserve to strengthen our nation’s food supply and defense.
Green Energy
We should adopt green initiatives that foster energy efficiency and reduce waste, which will not only create jobs but also save taxpayer dollars. Simple actions like updating building codes, examining power grids, and shifting to purchasing clean energy vehicles can amount to savings for taxpayers. We will also increase energy efficiency by offering financial incentives for meeting high public construction energy standards.
Foreign Policy & Trade labor
- The role of negotiating trade should return to Congress. Missouri farmers should be represented in trade discussions by elected officials, not the Executive Branch.
- We must re-evaluate the purchase of Missouri land by foreign companies, who buy at pennies on the dollar while turning a tax-free import/export profit while driving up costs and pushing local farmers out of the market
- The best foreign policy involves setting the example of investing in American infrastructure and then using the power of our markets to drive growth in international business sectors.
- Workers should have the fundamental right to collectively bargain and join or start a union.
- Right to Work is wrong for Missouri. We will stand strong and united against any version of this anti-union, anti-worker legislation.
- Instead of subsidizing large agribusiness corporations, farmers should get a fair price for their crops, reduce overproduction, and get paid for conserving American farmland. The government should provide loans to cover the production costs, with the option to buy from a private buyer if prices are high. If prices are low, the government should buy the crops back to cover the cost of the loan and store extra crops in reserve to strengthen our nation’s food supply and defense.
- Eliminate loopholes that allow pollution by ag corporations and CAFOs by strengthening the Clean Water Act.
- Farmers should receive grants to help them invest in technology and training to stay competitive and modernize their operations. To achieve this, farmers must have funding and access to reliable broadband internet.
