By Julie Tomascik
Editor

The U.S. House Agriculture Committee will host a farm bill listening session at 2 p.m. Wednesday, March 15, in Waco.

The listening session is the only in-person opportunity to comment on the farm bill in Texas to date.

“This is the perfect opportunity to speak directly to lawmakers involved in crafting the next five-year farm bill. It is vital they hear from Texas farmers and ranchers,” Texas Farm Bureau (TFB) National Legislative Director Laramie Adams said. “If you can attend, I encourage you to do so.”

House Agriculture Committee Chair Glenn “GT” Thompson, American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall and TFB President Russell Boening are scheduled to attend.

“The last few years have been defined by uncertainty with the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain disruption, the war in Ukraine, record inflation and skyrocketing costs,” Adams said. “Agriculture was, and still is, affected by each of those, and the farm bill is one way for lawmakers to address the impact of those issues.”

The 2018 Farm Bill is set to expire on Sept. 30, and lawmakers are examining the current bill and taking note of what needs to be changed to improve the next bill.

The legislation is reviewed every five years to provide the opportunity to update programs to remain relevant to current market and economic conditions. The bill addresses farm program payments, food policy, conservation initiatives, rural development and more.

Both the Senate and House committees on agriculture are hosting hearings in Washington and on the ground in states across the nation to allow stakeholders an opportunity to weigh in on the many sections in the bill.

“The farm bill is the most impactful piece of legislation related to agriculture, and lawmakers need to hear from Texas farmers and ranchers about the programs covered under the bill,” Adams said. “We encourage TFB members to attend the session and weigh in or contact their lawmakers directly to discuss the impact farm bill safety net programs have on their farms and ranches.”

The farm bill listening session will be held at the BASE at Extraco Events Center located at 4401 Bosque Blvd. in Waco.

Farmers and ranchers can submit comments and feedback on the farm bill through the House Ag Committee’s farm bill portal.

TFB Communications staff will cover the meeting and share the highlights on texasfarmbureau.org in the days following the listening session.