Key lawmakers on the House Agriculture Committee expressed relief the 2018 farm bill was extended but all are chomping at the bit to get a five-year measure to the Senate and onto President Joe Biden for his signature in 2024.
Former ag committee chairman Rep. Frank Lucas, R-OK, said continuing the resolution to Sept. 30, 2024 is an extension of the Sept. 30, 2014, farm bill. “Thanks to this extension, we are able to continue working to deliver an improved farm bill that works for all regions, all commodities, and all Americans.”
Lucas said this was not the first time a farm bill had to be extended.
“During my time in Congress, we have used extensions to give us the needed time to perfect language and settle differences, and that has always been time well spent,” Lucas said.
U.S. Rep. Tracey Mann, R-KS, said the legislation important.
“A five-year farm bill is long enough to provide certainty to producers, and short enough for Congress to respond to market changes and strengthen the farm safety net. The last farm bill was signed on Dec. 20, 2018, and a lot has changed since then,” Mann said. “We have seen a global pandemic devastate the supply chain, war between Russia and Ukraine, the Biden administration’s failed trade agenda, inflation hit a record high, and some of the worst drought conditions in decades. We need a five-year farm bill to address these changes. American farmers, ranchers, and agricultural producers deserve it, America’s food and national security depend on it, and Congress must deliver it.”
Rep. Don Bacon, R-NE, said while the farm bill is not a linear process he hoped that Congress will pass legislation early in 2024. “Passing a strong farm bill is our top priority, but while negotiations are ongoing, passing an extension until September 2024 was the best option for providing certainty to farmers.
“Throughout the process, I have met with farmers, ranchers, and producers from across Nebraska to listen to their concerns and priorities as we craft a farm bill. The top concerns I consistently hear are crop insurance and protecting American producers from unfair trade practices in the international market. However, those are only a few of the policies we must consider to create a robust farm bill.”
Rep. Sharice Davids, a Kansas Democrat, said the importance of passing a bipartisan farm bill is a must to support Kansas farmers, ranchers and producers and that is something she has consistently heard in her Third District.
“I saw firsthand how important farm bill programs are to the daily operations of our community’s farms and agribusinesses,” Davids said. “Thankfully, Kansans have two representatives on the House Ag Committee advocating for their priorities, me and Rep. Mann. The farmers and producers I spoke with agree that there’s no time to waste in passing a bipartisan farm bill that benefits Kansas producers and our economy, secures agricultural supply chains, and helps lower grocery costs.”
Mann believes that a five-year farm bill must strengthen and maintain crop insurance; promote trade programs that help America remain competitive and secure; conduct rigorous oversight of the executive branch to fight big government overreach; and invest in agricultural research at America’s land-grant universities.
“If you think about a safety net, the higher the risk, the higher the fall, and the stronger the safety net you need to survive,” Mann said. “Producers’ risk levels are at an all-time high because of inflation, input costs, and other market changes. The livelihoods of American producers and consumers are on the line right now, and that means our food security and national security are on the line, too. American farmers, ranchers, and agricultural producers need certainty like never before—and Congress must deliver for them with a five-year farm bill.”
Dave Bergmeier can be reached at 620-227-1822 or [email protected].
