House Agriculture Committee Hosts Texas Listening Session, Producers Express Need for Strengthened Farm Safety Net in Next Farm Bill
House Agriculture Committee Chairman, Congressman G.T. Thompson (R-PA), hosted a Farm Bill Listening Session in Waco, Texas, on Wednesday alongside Representatives Pete Sessions (R-TX), Austin Scott (R-GA), Jim Baird (R-IN), Ronny Jackson (R-TX), Tracey Mann (R-KS), and Jasmine Crockett (D-TX). Farmers, ranchers, and representatives from agriculture businesses from across the region used the listening session to call for increases to reference prices, expanded crop insurance options, and a greater investment in order to strengthen the farm safety net. National Sorghum Producers Past Chairman Kody Carson echoed these priorities, testifying on behalf of NSP. A full recording of the listening session may be viewed here. Read more here.
Commodity Group Leaders Discuss Farm Bill Priorities at Annual Commodity Classic Meeting, Highlight Crop Insurance as a Top Priority
National Sorghum Producers Chairman Craig Meeker participated on a panel of commodity group leaders also including Tom Haag, President of the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA), Nicole Berg, former President of the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG), Daryl Cates, President of the American Soybean Association, and Bill Hurley, Chairman of the Board of the Association of Equipment Manufacturers, which convened to discuss each groups’ priorities in the upcoming Farm Bill. Speaking to the need of sufficient budgetary resources, Meeker remarked, “How do we have a relevant [Farm] Bill without new money?” The panelists also agreed that maintaining crop insurance was a top priority. “We always have individuals that want to take [crop insurance] away from us,” stated Haag. Berg stated, “What we need is a farm with a safety net without the gaping holes we have now.” Read more here.
USDA Secretary Vilsack Testifies Before Senate Agriculture Committee, Ranking Member Boozman Calls for “Reinforced” Farm Safety Net
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack testified before the Senate Agriculture Committee on Thursday morning. Ranking Member John Boozman (R-AR) took the opportunity to emphasize the need for a reinforced safety net stating, “When I meet with farmers, they tell me the safety net is badly frayed and needs to be reinforced. The 2014 Farm Bill was successful in moving agriculture away from direct payments to need-based support during times of low prices or low revenue. That was nearly a decade ago. Farm programs have not kept up pace with the needs of modern agriculture and are not responsive in the face of pandemics or geopolitical pressures. The current safety net does not reflect the current levels of risk taken on each year by those that provide the food, fiber, and fuel we depend on.”
Senator John Thune (R-SD) also addressed the $250 billion plus up of SNAP programs that occurred in August 2021, stating, “The changes that were made administratively in the SNAP program to the tune of a quarter of a trillion dollars – that’s not a rounding error…To think about…the implications that has for the Farm Bill, we are now talking about a Farm Bill baseline of $1.5 trillion. This is territory we’ve never come close to hitting. He added, “If changes are going to be made in some of those programs, they should be made by Congress, and not by the Administration.”
Chairwoman, Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), added, “Spending on nutrition programs does not rob resources from other Farm Bill programs, just as crop insurance doesn’t rob resources from other programs when disaster strikes and spending goes up. [T]hreats we are hearing from some in the House in favor of reckless and indiscriminate mandatory budget cuts will result in cuts to all Farm Bill programs.” Read more here.
400 Agriculture Groups Send Letter to Budget Committee Leadership Requesting Sufficient Budgetary Resources for a “More Meaningful, Predictable Farm Safety Net”
In a letter sent Tuesday to the Chairmen and Ranking Members of both the Senate and House Budget Committees, over 400 agriculture groups, including National Sorghum Producers, made the case for “sufficient budgetary resources to write a new bipartisan, multi-year, comprehensive, and meaningful [Farm Bill].” The letter highlights the need for a “more meaningful, predictable farm safety net,” citing the 2018 trade war with China that “hardly triggered the farm safety net provided in the current Farm Bill”. The letter also urges that the Budget Committees provide budgetary resources to assist in facilitating a move away from ad-hoc disaster assistance, declaring, “Ad hoc assistance is necessary in times of need but is not a timely, reliable, or predictable safety net for farmers and ranchers. The upcoming farm bill reauthorization provides an opportunity to address very real needs in agriculture and rely less on off-budget ad hoc assistance.” The letter also encourages the protection and enhancement of crop insurance. Read more here.
Bipartisan, Bicameral Year-Round E15 Legislation Introduced, Industry Leaders Applaud Move
Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Deb Fischer (R-NE) on Tuesday reintroduced the Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act of 2023. The bill would enable the “year-round, nationwide sale of ethanol blends higher than 10 percent, helping to lower fuel prices and provide certainty in fuel markets for farmers and consumers,” according to a release from Senator Klobuchar.
Companion legislation in the House was introduced this week following the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) recent announcement that it would delay implementation of year-round E15 until 2024, a move that was widely criticized by industry leaders. Read more here and here.
Senate to Vote to Block WOTUS Rule Next Week, Senator Cramer Expresses Concerns Over WOTUS Overreach
Following House passage of a Congressional Review Act (CRA) measure to block the Biden Administration’s WOTUS Rule, the Senate next week may well follow suit although President Biden has already signaled that he would veto the measure if it reaches his desk. At a hearing held by the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on Wednesday, Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) remarked, “Since the [Environmental Protection Agency] unveiled the [WOTUS] rule, I've heard from a lot of those stakeholders, constituents, and others who are concerned the new rule really embodies some of the same government overreach of the 2015 rule. Also concerning was the rule’s shift in applying the burden of proof, and this is a very specific issue – the burden of proof on the landowners for proving that their land is non-jurisdictional.”
Senator Cramer and Senate colleagues issued the formal challenge to WOTUS through a CRA measure last month. The WOTUS rule, as it stands, will go into effect next Monday, March 20. The Supreme Court has yet to render a ruling on the breath of EPA’s authority to regulate waters under the Clean Water Act. Read more here.
Senators Marshall, Grassley Request Clarification on Secretary Vilsack’s Claim That USDA Was Not Consulted by Justice Department Over Glyphosate Use
USDA Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack testified before the Senate Agriculture Committee on Thursday morning. In advance of the hearing, Senators Roger Marshall (R-KS) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) sent a letter to Secretary Vilsack, requesting clarification over testimony from the Secretary’s May 26, 2022 appearance before the Committee. According to a release from Senator Marshall, “During that hearing, Secretary Vilsack claimed that the U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA) was not consulted by the Department of Justice (DOJ) regarding a matter before the Supreme Court concerning the safe use of glyphosate.
Ultimately, the U.S. Solicitor General reversed the federal government’s long-held view on federal preemption and decided to side with the Plaintiffs Bar instead of the agricultural industry. However, on February 2, 2023, DOJ informed Senator Marshall that USDA was invited to share its views in the Monsanto case.” Added the Senators, “If USDA failed to provide any views when requested to do so by the DOJ, have you as Secretary taken any corrective action to discipline those who failed to communicate the interests of American agriculture? American agriculture must have confidence that the Department of Agriculture understands the concerns that agricultural producers face and can effectively communicate those concerns to Departments in Washington, DC, that do not know the difference between a corn and soybean field.” Read more here.
Precision Agriculture Gets Bipartisan, Bicameral Focus in Multiple Pieces of Legislation Aimed at Improving Access to Technology
A recent flurry of legislation has shown the importance that precision agriculture technology may have in the upcoming Farm Bill. Senators John Thune (R-SD) and Raphael Warnock (D-GA), both Members of the Senate Agriculture Committee, recently introduced the Promoting Precision Agriculture Act. According to a release from Senator Thune, “The bill would establish a partnership between the government and the private sector to develop voluntary interconnectivity standards and prioritize the cybersecurity needs for precision agriculture technologies.”
Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Deb Fischer (R-NE), also Members of the Senate Agriculture Committee, introduced two separate bills aimed at expanding access to precision agriculture equipment. The first piece of legislation, The Precision Agriculture Loan Act (PAL) Act, “would create a program within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide loan financing to farmers and ranchers interested in purchasing precision agriculture equipment,” according to a release from Senator Fischer. Representatives Randy Feenstra (R-IA) and Jimmy Panetta (D-CA) introduced companion legislation to the PAL Act in the House. The second piece of legislation introduced by Senators Klobuchar and Fischer is the Producing Responsible Energy and Conservation Incentives and Solutions for the Environment (PRECISE) Act, which would “provide a suite of financial tools to help farmers and ranchers of all sizes increase their adoption of precision ag technologies through existing USDA conservation programs.” Companion legislation to the PRECISE Act was introduced in the House by Representatives Ashley Hinson (R-IA), Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), Brad Finstad (R-MN), and Angie Craig (D-MN). Read more here.
Save-the-Date and Register for the Third Annual Sorghum PAC Golf Tournament
The 2023 Sorghum PAC Series will conclude with the Third Annual Sorghum PAC Golf Tournament, co-sponsored by Alta Seeds and UPL. The event will take place April 29, 2023, at the Mariah Hills Golf Course in Dodge City, Kansas, and feature a four-person scramble. Mark your calendars for a day of fun, networking and friendly competition. For sponsor, donation and registration information, contact Sorghum PAC Series coordinator Jamaca Battin at jamaca@sorghumgrowers.com or 785-421-8927. Interested in a hole sponsorship? Register here.
Register Team.
Sorghum Checkoff Releases Weekly <br>Sorghum Basis Snapshot
The Sorghum Checkoff, with Southwest Agribusiness Consulting, released its weekly sorghum basis snapshot, available at SorghumCheckoff.com.
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To view this week’s Gulf export grain report, click here.
About Sorghum Notes
Sorghum Notes is a publication of the National Sorghum Producers. NSP represents U.S. sorghum producers and serves as the voice of the sorghum industry from coast to coast through education and legislative and regulatory representation. Learn more at www.SorghumGrowers.com.