Wisconsin Farm Bureau president against GMO labeling

Agriculture seems unlikely to 
be on presidential debate docket

The two main presidential candidates this year are unpopular with plenty of Americans. And that includes farmers, who apparently don’t find much to like with either Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton.

Both candidates grew up in big cities and neither one has talked much about farm issues during the campaign, according to Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation president Jim Holte.

“Neither of the major candidates understand or can talk about agriculture and that’s unfortunate,” Holte said. “Agriculture is an important industry in this country.”

Holte suggested that neither Clinton nor Trump will discuss farm problems at length before the election, which could include newly passed GMO (genetically modified organism) labeling rules.

Congress has approved a law requiring food producers to use clear ways of labeling ingredients of GMOs.

Holte, however, said GMO procedures have been helpful to him and other farmers.

“My farm and my neighbor’s farm is more efficient,” he said. “We save water. We save nutrients. And we don’t like use the kinds of pesticides we don’t like using – the more dangerous ones. 

“So, there’s a lot of positives with it.”

The farm bureau has been against special labeling for GMO food, but Holte is glad the U.S. Agriculture Dept. will be setting the label standards and not individual states, which would make labeling nearly impossible for companies.