U.S. Congressman Glenn (GT) Thompson, (R-PA 15th District), the most senior Republican member of the House Agriculture Committee behind retiring Congressman Mike Conaway, will be the keynote speaker at the 2020 Ag Issues Conference, Wednesday, March 18, 2020, in Seminole, Texas. The conference, which is open to growers of any commodity, agribusinesses as well as community leaders, is hosted by the Western Peanut Growers Association (WPGA).

The focus of this year's conference is the future of agriculture.

U.S. Congressman of Pennsylvania's 15th District Glenn Thompson

Thompson, who will be introduced by U.S. Representative Jodey Arrington,  (R-TX 19th District), serves as the Republican leader of the Farm Commodities and Risk Management Subcommittee. A question and answer session will follow Thompson's presentation.

Peanut Concerns

As peanut producers prepare for another year, WPGA President Tony Dill says the biggest concern for the peanut industry and agriculture as a whole, is "all the uncertainty, starting with the current prices offered to farmers.

"We support President Trump and his principle that trade needs to be fair. In 2019, the Market Facilitation Program (MFP) provided enough support to help our guys make it through the crop year and the Phase One agreement with China is a big step in the right direction. But prices do not seem to be moving in the right direction or at least not fast enough for farmers in this area to complete a 2020 crop successfully.

"The upside was provided in February when President Trump tweeted that he would provide more money to farmers this year if his trade deals don’t 'fully kick in. But the uncertainty was thrown back in last week when USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue stated there is less than a 10% chance to get that help."

As Texas peanut growers move forward, Dill says the WPGA will continue to work on behalf of peanut growers to find avenues that will help them stay in business. 

The 2020 Ag Issues Conference will be held at the Seminole Community Center, 801 North Main Street, with a business meeting for WPGA members at 10 a.m., followed by the luncheon at 11:30 a.m. and conclude with the conference.

For more information, contact the WPGA at (432) 758–2050.