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Some farm advocates in rural America, including Nebraska, are calling on the Trump administration to continue investing in small communities.

They propose that new federal investments in agriculture wind up in the hands of farmers in rural communities.

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Nebraska Farmers Union President John Hansen said he is cautiously optimistic about how rural policy will look in the new administration, but said it will start with fair competition in the agriculture markets.

"The markets are not competitive now," said Han Senator "So, if they're not competitive, they're not functional. They don't perform as they should. And we want more competition. So, in order to get there, we need some appropriate regulation in order to create competition. And in the absence of competition, there's collusion."

Hansen and other rural farm advocates are calling for increased competition in the supply chain and food processing sectors of the agriculture economy, and for more federal investments at the local level - where he said farmers are facing unprecedented financial stress.

Hansen added that markets are far more consolidated today than they were when lawmakers created the Packers and Stockyards Act in 1921, especially in beef and pork.

"So, when you look at it through the lens of time," said Hansen, "are we winning or losing here?"

Hansen said consolidation and a lack of market competition have put unprecedented pressure and financial stress on farmers, and he said no matter what policies are set in Washington, most solutions happen at the local level.