By Shelby Shank
Field Editor
Farm bill discussions are underway on Capitol Hill, and more than 250 Texas Farm Bureau (TFB) members added their voices in calling on Congress to modernize and pass a new farm bill.
The Texas farmers and ranchers were in Washington, D.C., as part of TFB’s National Affairs Awards Trip. The farm bill topped the list of issues and policy positions promoted by attendees. Other national legislative priorities the group advocated for included agricultural labor, disaster assistance and regulatory reform.
“It’s important that we are in Washington, D.C., talking to our congressmen and women because they enjoy it. They really enjoy us coming up here, and they want to hear our message,” TFB President Russell Boening said.
TFB and American Farm Bureau Federation have staff who work with lawmakers in Washington, D.C., on behalf of members. But it’s the voices of farmers and ranchers that make an impact when lawmakers hear from them.
“They want to hear the message from their constituents, and I think our folks bring our message better than others,” Boening said. “Our staff does a great job, no doubt about it, but when lawmakers can hear from their constituents, they really appreciate that.”
During the trip, farm bill discussions centered on increasing reference prices and addressing staggering input costs, as well as increasing baseline commitments to current farm program needs.
Several lawmakers who addressed the group, including U.S. House Agriculture Committee Chair Glenn “GT” Thompson of Pennsylvania and Rep. Jodey Arrington of Texas, stressed the importance of getting a farm bill completed on time.
“For me, the main purpose of the farm bill is stability in the ag economy and making sure we have the resilience of a supply chain of food given the disruptions,” Arrington, who is from West Texas, said. “Budgets are about priorities. We need to prioritize some things that are critical to our nation’s security. Food security, energy independence and then not spending a whole lot of money on things we don’t need to be spending on.”
Farm Bureau leaders heard from U.S. Sen. John Boozman of Arkansas, who serves as the ranking member of the U.S. Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee.
“We’re working hard to get this farm bill done. We’re having hearings and listening sessions and people are coming from all over the country to Washington, telling us what we need to be doing,” Boozman said. “Farm bills aren’t about Republicans and Democrats, but really region to region and then making sure we’re taking care of all commodities. It’s not a one size fits all, but we’re working together.”
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas also addressed the group on border control issues, as well as the rise of inflation and the effect on agriculture.
“It’s tough to be a farmer and rancher in Texas. There are a lot of challenges, and it’s gotten a lot tougher in the last couple of years,” Cruz said. “Inflation is out of control, and you have governmental regulations that make no sense to farmers and ranchers. I want to thank Texas farmers and ranchers. You are defending our great state and provide the common sense values that keep Texas who we are. It’s my job to fight for you.”
Farm Bureau leaders listened to a Texas freshman Congressional panel with Reps. Monica De La Cruz, Nathaniel Moran and Keith Self. Panelists shared their biggest concerns this congressional year including China, dependence on other countries, keeping the younger generation involved in agriculture and inflation.
De La Cruz said she will be introducing the Young Farmers Success Act with House Agriculture Committee Chair Thompson and Rep. Joe Courtney of Connecticut to encourage young farmers and ranchers to stay in agriculture.
Attendees also heard from U.S. House Majority Whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota and Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, as well as Reps. Ronny Jackson and Pete Sessions of Texas.
While in D.C., farmers and ranchers made office visits to talk with the Texas congressional delegation and their staff about TFB priority issues.
“Whether it be the farm bill, labor or dealing with things like regulatory issues, these meetings give Farm Bureau members a chance to have one-on-one conversations with their representative or their staff. We have 38 Congressmen and women and two U.S. senators. That’s 40 representatives from the state of Texas. It’s important that we break up and try to see as many as we can.” Boening said.
Some members had the opportunity to meet with House Agriculture Committee staff and Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee staff where conversations centered around agriculture’s needs for the farm bill and progress updates.
The trip to Capitol Hill was held April 18-21.
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