Last week, Utah Farm Bureau Federation President ValJay Rigby testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business & Entrepreneurship during a hearing titled “The Next 250: Small Businesses Leading the Way.” Senator John Curtis (R-UT) invited President Rigby to testify and introduced him to the committee.

In his testimony, Rigby focused on three priorities he believes are essential to ensuring American agriculture remains strong for generations to come: strengthening the economic foundation of farm businesses, keeping land and opportunity within reach of the next generation, and recognizing agriculture as a national asset.

Rigby highlighted the challenges facing family farms, including rising costs, access to capital, land access, and regulatory burdens. He emphasized that most family farms do not have attorneys or compliance specialists on staff and urged Congress and federal agencies to eliminate unnecessary regulations, simplify compliance and ensure requirements are proportionate to the size of the businesses expected to meet them.

Rigby also spoke about something that cannot be measured in a balance sheet: the character and work ethic developed through growing up in agriculture. He told the committee that farm kids learn early that success requires showing up, working hard, solving problems and taking responsibility. They learn to work with people of different ages and backgrounds, care for animals and land, and understand that sometimes things do not go according to plan and you have to find a way forward.


Rigby concluded his testimony by emphasizing the importance of family farms to America’s food security, rural communities and national security.


“America needs family farms. America needs rural communities. America needs a diverse and resilient food system,” Rigby told the committee. “And America needs the next generation to believe that farming remains a viable way to make a living, a legacy worth carrying forward, and a future worth pursuing.”

During questioning, Senator Curtis focused on how regulatory burdens and rising costs contribute to consolidation in agriculture and asked what Congress can do to help family farms remain competitive. Rigby emphasized the importance of simplifying regulations, improving access to credit, and encouraging opportunities for farmers to add value to the commodities they produce.

Dr. Ajay Malshe, an engineering professor and tech entrepreneur who was also invited to testify before lawmakers regarding advanced tech innovation, visiting with President Rigby in Washington.

Curtis also asked Rigby about the impact of tax policy on family farms and the ability to pass operations to the next generation. Rigby discussed the importance of tax certainty and estate tax provisions, explaining that the value of farmland can create significant challenges for families trying to transition a farm from one generation to the next.

"Any time we can provide opportunities to incentivize adding value to the crops that I grow on my farm, that increases the revenue that comes into my farm. Any of those programs are a benefit," Rigby said. "When we can incentivize lower interest rates, that’s one of the challenges in agriculture: access to capital and credit. A beginning farmer who’s just starting out faces the challenge that we’ve talked about. They don’t have decades of experience or a balance sheet to show the bank that they’re a good risk. Any of those programs are a tremendous help to our producers."

Rigby’s testimony resonated with Senator Curtis, who shared his own experience as a small business owner. Curtis said that people who had grown up on farms were often the kind of employees he wanted to hire because they understood hard work, discipline and problem-solving.

"I will just tell you, as a previous small business owner myself, if anybody ever walked in my door and said they grew up on a farm in Utah or Idaho, we hired them, no questions asked," Sen. Curtis said. "They’re hard workers, they’re disciplined, and they’re problem-solvers."

You can rewatch President Rigby’s testimony and the full hearing by clicking here. You can rewatch Senator Curtis’ introduction of President Rigby and questioning here. You can read President Rigby’s full written testimony by clicking here.