The House Committee on Agriculture held a hearing Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2021, on “The Immediate Challenges to our Nation’s Food Supply Chain”.
Members of Congress heard testimonies from witnesses across ag industries express the challenges of our Nation’s widespread supply chain issues. This bipartisan conversation highlighted the additional costs producers and shippers have taken on since the COVID-19 pandemic to meet increased consumer demands during a labor shortage.
Chairman Davis Scott opens the hearing saying, “While these supply chain disruptions are serious and unprecedented, it is important to remember that we are not facing a scarcity of food and agricultural commodities. The U.S. is still the world’s best producer of an abundant, secure food supply. Despite the challenges our agricultural industry is facing, it is also still on pace to set record export levels. And in the cases of commodities that have enjoyed higher prices recently, those prices are welcomed by farmers, many of whom suffered from low prices for years prior to the market improving.
I do not want to understate that these complex disruptions are causing economic hardship, delays, limited product choices, increased costs of production, and most notable for much of the American public, increased prices for consumer goods… I look forward to helping our incredible food and agriculture industry get through these formidable challenges.”