By Julie Tomascik
Editor

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and U.S. Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee Ranking Member John Boozman toured parts of the Lone Star State last week, hearing from farmers and ranchers on issues and challenges impacting agriculture, including the need for a modernized farm bill.

“High input costs, inflation, market uncertainty and drought are just a few of the challenges Texas farmers and ranchers are facing,” said Laramie Adams, associate director of Government Affairs for Texas Farm Bureau. “During the agricultural tour, Sen. Cruz and Ranking Member Boozman heard about those challenges and shared how they, and fellow lawmakers in D.C., can work to help them.”

The senators’ agricultural tour included stops in Harlingen, Corpus Christi, Lubbock and Amarillo.

During the Harlingen tour stop, Cruz discussed water issues.

“I’ll tell you, the number one issue that I heard is an issue that I’ve been very focused on, which is the need for more water in South Texas,” Cruz said.

Mexico has a treaty with the U.S. that stipulates Mexico must provide 350,000 acre-feet of water each year to Texas. Mexico, however, has failed to meet those treaty obligations, putting pressure on agriculture in the Rio Grande Valley.

“It’s hurting farmers and ranchers here. And so I am pressing on the state department, I’m pressing on the Biden administration, to demand that Mexico, that they meet their treaty obligations. With water, with irrigation, South Texas farmers can grow more sugarcane, can grow more cotton, can grow more citrus, can grow more crops, which provide more jobs, which generate more economic activity, which benefits the Valley,” Cruz said. “But without water—we’re in the midst of a drought, we’ve had record heat—and with Mexico failing to meet its treaty obligations, it’s hurting the farmers and ranchers of South Texas. We’ve got to demand Mexico meet up to its obligations.”

While in Corpus Christi, Cruz met with Coastal Bend agricultural leaders about the 2023 Farm Bill.

The farm bill addresses farm program payments, food policy, conservation initiatives, rural development and more.

Farmers stressed the need to increase reference prices to reflect the cost of production and to enhance crop insurance to further mitigate risk and alleviate the need for ad hoc disaster aid.

“We’ve got a drought we’re struggling with. We’ve got record temperatures we’re struggling with. We got inflation that’s out of control, and we are seeing the struggles farmers and ranchers are paying. A big part of my job is fighting for farmers, ranchers in Texas. Each and every day, farmers and ranchers, they provide the food, they provide the clothing we need,” he said. “Also, critically, Texas farmers and ranchers, they embody the common sense that is right at the heart of Texas and who we are.”

The farm bill touches all Americans, not just those in rural areas, and it is a critical took that ensures the nation’s food supply remains secure.

“Crop insurance is a major issue that we hear from farmers and ranchers across the state—that if you’re farming or ranching, you can’t control global commodity prices,” Cruz said. “They can change on a dime and be outside your control. We don’t want farmers and ranchers being driven out of business.”

Farm bill discussions continued in Amarillo and Lubbock and concluded the three-day statewide agricultural tour.

A ‘Cruz’ through Texas agriculture to hear from farmers U.S. Senator Ted Cruz worked his way through the Lone Star State in late August, growing his understanding of Texas agriculture and the issues faced by the industry.