The Alabama Farmer’s Federation (ALFA) wrote a letter commending the House Committee on Agriculture for the Farm, Food and National Security Act, which it said puts more “farm” in the farm bill.
“As you are aware, farmers in Alabama and across the country depend on a strong safety net to support their efforts to feed, clothe, and fuel our nation and others around the world,” ALFA president Jimmy Parnell stated in the letter. “This bill takes great strides in modernizing the strengthening that safety net.”
Letter from ALFA by Erica Thomas on Scribd
Parnell said the bill includes meaningful increases in reference prices for all commodities, increases to marketing loan rates, increased funding for trade promotion activities, the opportunity for producers to have new base acres allocated and a provision to ensure producers have the federal right to raise and market their livestock in interstate commerce. The bill also modernized the Conservation Reserve Program.
Provisions ALFA commended championed by U.S. Rep. Barry Moore (R-Enterprise) include:
Continuation of the Feral Swine Eradication and Control Program with 60% of funding directed to USDA APHIS WS and 40% directed to USDA NRCS based on H.R. 3985;
Establishment of a commission to improve the efficiency and quality of data collection and reporting by the National Agriculture Statistics Service based on H.R. 6351; and
Modernization and standardization of Forest Inventory Analysis data based on H.R. 3990.
Parnell urged representatives to advance the bill out of committee quickly.
As the House Agriculture Committee takes up the bill Thursday, country music artist John Rich is pointing out concerns with the EATS (Ending Agricultural Trade Suppression) Act that is included in the farm bill. Rich said the act lends itself to allowing the Chinese Communist Party to benefit off the backs of Alabama farmers.
“As I’ve dug into that in the past weeks and months, I’ve come to the same conclusion that pretty much any American, if they know what they’re looking at would come to, especially our farmers and meat producers,” Rich said. “And that is, we cannot allow that to happen.”
Rich said the EATS Act should be removed from the bill before it moves further.
U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn) said he appreciates the bill, put together by House Committee on Agriculture chairman U.S. Rep. GT Thompson (R-Pa.). Tuberville serves on the Agriculture Committee and has been touring Alabama to hear from farmers for over a year.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email erica.thomas@1819news.com.
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