Mario Pitts traveled over 1,000 miles to our nation's capital, meeting with lawmakers to discuss a topic that hits close to home.
"Between my dad and I, we farm about 3,000 irrigated acres, another thousand dry land acres," Pitts said.
Pitts is a third-generation farmer. He grows sugarbeets with his father.
“They are processed from a white sugar beet into white granulated refined sugar. Then, packaged and sold to bakers, grocery stores, different distribution centers across the country," he explained.
Although, Pitts says this year's harvest was excellent, he wants lawmakers to know about the challenges the industry faces.
“We believe in free trade, but we want fair trade and Mexico is definitely not doing that right now," he said. "That's the biggest injury to our industry right now."
As Congress begins the debate on the 2018 farm bill, Pitts says he’d like to see current continued, specifically when it comes to loans.
"We raise the crop, it's processed into sugar. We take a loan out on it through the government," he said. "That loan is then paid back though the year as we sell the sugar with interest. That way, a farmer can get paid when he harvests versus having to wait a whole year after your crop is harvested.”
Pitts says his meetings with the Nebraska delegation have been productive, specifically with Congressman Adrian Smith (R-NE).
"His family, they were German Russians, and they came over to raise sugarbeets," Pitts said. "He knows exactly how important our industry is."
As Pitts heads back to the Cornhusker state, he says he's given lawmakers a lot to think about, as they continue negotiations on the 2018 farm bill.
Source: www.graydc.com