Congressman Mike Conaway of Texas is among 100 cotton-state legislators who are urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to allow cotton growers, through cottonseed, to qualify for the same assistance other oilseed growers receive through the 2014 Farm Bill.
Price support for U.S. cotton growers was cut from the 2014 Farm Bill after the U.S. settled a trade deal with Brazil promising it would not give direct subsidies for cotton fiber, according to Reuters.
Although cotton fiber is not eligible for assistance through the farm bill, cottonseed may be if approved by the USDA.
If Vilsack and the USDA designate cottonseed as an oilseed, cotton growers would qualify for safety net coverage through the farm bill’s Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs.
The cotton-state lawmakers signed the letter to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack last week.
Conaway intends to send the letter to Vilsack for consideration this week.
Allowing cottonseed to be eligible for ARC or PLC would require no legislative action, according to Reuters.
Texas Farm Bureau State Director Dan B. Smith, a fourth generation cotton farmer, will submit testimony supporting designation of cottonseed as an “other oilseed” so it may be eligible for farm bill safety net programs.