WASHINGTON — North Carolina Farm Bureau volunteer leader and Edneyville farmer Linda Pryor testified before the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy, Climate and Grid Security on behalf of the American Farm Bureau Federation this morning. During the hearing, Pryor highlighted the financial hardship high energy costs are placing on farms during an exceptionally difficult season and shared farmers’ concerns that unfunded mandates, premature deployment of new technology and increased regulatory burdens related to clean energy severely impact not only the agricultural sector, but the broader economy as well.
“Expensive energy makes everything else consumers want and need more expensive,” Pryor said in her testimony. “We need affordable, diverse, scalable, reliable and long-term energy solutions for farmers to ensure that grocery shelves remain stocked with affordable options for American families.”
Pryor added that among the many input cost increases her farm has had to absorb, fuel costs have risen from $57,000 in 2021 to $83,600 in 2023. During that same time, the sale price for her corn and apples has decreased.
“Farmers are price-takers, not price-makers, and I am no exception,” she said. “I cannot determine what my crops are worth and charge accordingly.”
Pryor, of Edneyville, and her husband, Adam, operate Hilltop Farm WNC, where they grow apples, corn and hay and manage beef cattle. She serves on American Farm Bureau’s GO Team and is a participant in the organization’s Partners in Advocacy Leadership (PAL) program. She is active in Henderson County Farm Bureau, serving as co-chair of the county Women’s Committee, and is a 2023 graduate of North Carolina Farm Bureau’s LEAD Program.
A link to the full hearing can be found here: https://energycommerce.house.gov/events/energy-climate-and-grid-security-subcommittee-hearing-from-gas-to-groceries-americans-pay-the-price-of-the-biden-harris-energy-agenda.
–Lynda Loveland, N.C. Farm Bureau
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