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Edneyville farmer testifies before Congress on high energy costs

Linda Pryor testifies before the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy, Climate and Grid Security. [SCREENSHOT FROM CONGRESSIONAL HEARING]

By Lightning Reports, Published: September 12, 2024

Edneyville farmer Linda Pryor, a North Carolina Farm Bureau volunteer leader, testified before Congress Wednesday 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 before the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy, Climate and Grid Security. “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 dropped.

“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 and her husband, Adam, operate Hilltop Farm in Edneyville,, 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 program. An active member of the Henderson County Farm Bureau, she serves as co-chair of the county Women’s Committee and is a 2023 graduate of North Carolina Farm Bureau’s LEAD Program.