Letter: Sugar policy sweet deal for U.S. taxpayers, Red River Valley farmers 

Sugar is incredibly important to the Red River Valley. Sugar beets support our family farms, supply our factories, provide good jobs and power our local economy.

That’s why I was disappointed to read a recent column in The Forum written by out-of-state authors that peddled false claims about U.S. sugar policy that, if taken seriously by policymakers, could devastate my farm and our rural communities.

It’s important to set the record straight: U.S. sugar policy doesn’t cost taxpayers a dime.

I’m a fourth-generation farmer from St. Thomas, North Dakota, and sugar beets are an essential part of my farming operation. Like farmers across the country, I am proud to grow my crops and support my sugar beet cooperative while also providing for my family. My farm runs on hard work — not government handouts.

So, when political pundits in Washington, D.C., wrote an article claiming that sugar beet and sugarcane farmers rely on subsidies and that “farmland currently devoted to sugar could be shifted to more productive uses,” it was clear they haven’t stepped foot in the Red River Valley.

I do not receive a sugar subsidy check from the federal government. That’s because sugar subsidies don’t exist. U.S. sugar policy is built on a system of loans that are repaid with interest. Because our farmer-owned sugar cooperatives are not paid until a customer buys sugar — which can be several months after harvest — the federal government offers our cooperative the opportunity to take out loans. These loans provide our cooperative with the financial security to plant, grow, and harvest sugar beets, and the opportunity to process and store sugar.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. sugar policy has not cost taxpayers anything for the last 10 years, and it’s not projected to cost taxpayers anything for the next 10 years.

More sugar beets are grown here in the Red River Valley than anywhere else in America. We are among some of the most efficient sugar beet farmers in the world. And those sugar beets do more than help feed America. Across North Dakota and Minnesota, sugar production contributes more than $6.1 billion in annual economic impact and supports more than 16,000 jobs. Many of the people we employ in our factories would not be able to find another good, American manufacturing job as manufacturing jobs are increasingly shipped overseas.

U.S. sugar policy is of vital importance to our livelihoods and to the lifeblood of our communities. Fargo is surrounded by sugar beet fields, and our farms and factories support our economy. Importantly, U.S. sugar policy bolsters the domestic supply chains that keep a steady supply of sugar flowing to grocery store shelves. All without costing the taxpayer anything.

My son is already farming alongside my dad and me as the fifth generation. I want to be able to leave him a strong and sustainable farming operation. Our ability to do that depends on strong farm and trade policies. U.S. sugar policy isn’t some unnecessary government giveaway – it’s a critical part of keeping family farms in business.

Let’s not risk our farms or American jobs based on misinformation. We know sugar matters to the Red River Valley.

Brent Baldwin is a resident of St. Thomas, N.D.