Action needed on farm bill, ag lawmaker says

A new farm bill is front-and-center for U.S. Rep. Tracey Mann of Kansas.

The First District Republican, a member of the House Agriculture Committee, told those attending the Kansas Farm Bureau’s agricultural leadership summit on Sept. 7 that he can sum up the state of agriculture in one word—concerned.

Farmers and ranchers are concerned about higher input costs and a significant drop in commodity prices in the past year, he said. It comes at a time when “a lot of producers are crushing it on yields,” and yet they are discouraged when it comes to trying to market the grain, Mann said. He is pictured above in a photo taken by Dave Bergmeier.

Also, in the past year, yields are varying even in the same county. In some cases, favorable rains fell on one field while another one missed out, he said.

While the 2018 farm bill, which was extended for another year in 2023, provided a good baseline for producers, there is a need to get legislation approved that addresses today’s environment.

“I have gone to the (House) floor 33 times urging Congress to get a farm bill passed,” he said.

Net farm income is projected to decline for a second straight year, which is another reason for urgency, he said. In late May, the House Agriculture Committee passed a bi-partisan farm bill, but it is waiting a signal from the Senate Agriculture Committee to begin finding further compromise so both bodies can provide a final measure. Mann said any farm bill, regardless of who is in charge of the Senate and House, has to be approved on a bipartisan basis before being signed into law by the president.

“It’s not a perfect bill, but it is a good bill,” Mann said of the House Ag Committee’s bill, adding that he was comfortable saying the bill as it is written would pass in the House.

Crop insurance at core

Its most important provision is strengthening crop insurance, he said. Crop insurance provides producers with a risk management tool and, in his opinion, is the most successful private-public partnership to accomplish stability.

The House ag bill calls for doubling the monies spent by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to develop more export opportunities.

The role of Congress is also to provide oversight as the farm bill is expected to cost $1.5 trillion over 10 years. With 80% of monies earmarked for nutrition, he believes that requires greater accountability from the states that distribute the aid.

Wichita lawmaker weighs in on budget process

U.S. Rep. Ron Estes, a Fourth District Republican and a member of the House Budget Committee, expects Congress to pass a continuing resolution to fund the federal government on a short-term basis this fall.

One of his concerns is that the federal government is borrowing $1 to finance every $3 in spending, and, in his opinion, that is unsustainable.

He also endorsed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 that was signed into law by former President Donald Trump. Several provisions in that act expire Dec. 31, 2025, unless Congress acts to extend them or to make them permanent.

Concerns over death tax

For agriculture, the legislation helped address the “death tax,” which keeps farm families having to sell assets to pay for capital gains taxes when they are transitioning an operation to the next generation, Estes said. The current law increased the estate tax exemption to $11 million per person or $22 million per couple. If allowed to expire, it would drop to $5.5 million per person and $11 million per couple.

Estes said the higher limit allows farm operations to properly plan for a transition without the fear of having to sell assets to satisfy a tax bill. He said in some cases that would force families to quit.

Other parts of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act have also spurred investment into research and development that is crucial to agriculture, he said. Regardless of how the election turns out in November, Estes said Congress will have an important lame-duck session to address budgetary items before a new president and his or her administration takes office.

KFB president Joe Newland said in his welcome address that grassroots dialogue and leadership are how success occurs in rural America, and that KFB is striving to provide these..

“If we work together, we can accomplish everything,” he said. “Grassroots is where we truly get things done.”

The KFB breakfast is an annual event at the Kansas State Fair and was in the Dillon Hall, 4-H Encampment Building.

Dave Bergmeier can be reached at 620-227-1822 or [email protected].