House Ag Committee focuses on Farm Bill challenges

WASHINGTON — The U.S. House Committee on Agriculture convened on Feb. 28 for the hearing, “Uncertainty, Inflation, Regulations: Challenges for American Agriculture.” This was the first hearing of the 118th Congress in preparation for the 2023 Farm Bill.
In their opening remarks, the Committee Chairman G.T. Thompson, R-Pa., and Ranking Member David Scott shared their views on the challenges facing agriculture, including the current farm economy, the geopolitical situation, the effects of any lingering pandemic, plus the accomplishments and partial solutions of recent actions designed to mitigate any future detriments to agriculture.
Six leading national agricultural leaders gave comments and responded to the Committee Members’ questions during the four-hour-40-minute hearing. Fifty-two members, including both parties, participated in the hearing.
Thompson opened the meeting with, “Our focus this morning will be on the headwinds facing production agriculture.” He explained that to write an impactful Farm Bill, the committee needs a comprehensive understanding of the industry’s challenges and needs of those who grow, process, and consume the food, fuel, and fiber that we are blessed to produce here in the United States.
Thompson continued, “As we seek solutions, it is my vision that the Committee will provide the necessary tools to our farmers and ranchers to ease the barriers to production felt in recent years. As chairman, I challenge each member of the Agriculture Committee to view all policies through the lens of science, technology, and innovation, and identify forward-looking solutions throughout our work.”
Thompson pointed out, “Our nation’s farmers, ranchers, and foresters are exceptional, having increased food and fiber production nearly three-fold since the 1940s. They have done so with no relative increase in inputs — serving as shining stars of sustainability and conservation practices.”
But Thompson illustrated the recent events, “However, the uncertainty caused by a global pandemic, geopolitical unrest, and incessant government intrusion has led to a modest production decline in recent years.”
Thompson said enduring production agriculture policies are essential to our national security, and a safe, abundant, and affordable domestic food supply is equally essential to meet the needs of perennial global food crises.
He reported that over the last several years in travel to over 40 states he heard firsthand the issues on labor, fuel, fertilizer, inflation and interest rates. Thompson relates: average cost per gallon of diesel fuel increase 95 percent between 2020 and 2022; average 2022 Henry Hub real natural gas spot price increase 53 percent from 2021; nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium fertilizer increase 125 percent in 2021 with 30 percent more in the first five months of 2022; urea price increase 205 percent between 2020 and 2022.
He added, “Last week marked one year since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which perpetuates a disrupted global food system, resulting in continued increased energy prices, fertilizer cost spikes and shortages, and worsening food scarcities in developing countries. At the same time, American consumers are watching in dismay as their grocery and energy bills skyrocket.”
Thompson said, “The Biden Administration continues to ignore these crises, neglecting America’s producers and consumers. In fact, this Administration continues to promote nonsensical regulations and policies that create needless uncertainty for farmers, ranchers, and working families, further limiting our ability to meet the growing food demands of our nation and the world.”
He continued that it is the committee members’ mandate to work without partisanship to ensure the passage of a strong Farm Bill that addresses the issues being highlighted.
Ranking Member David Scott (D-Ga.) in his opening statement pointed to several of the bipartisan accomplishments during the last Congress to lay the groundwork for the 2023 Farm Bill.
Scott said that following the January 2022 discussion on the state of the farm economy with USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack, the committee had 19 Farm Bill review hearings with stakeholders and other Biden Administration officials.
Also, they received input from farmers and consumers at five listening sessions across the country. In addition to obtaining information on how the current Farm Bill programs were working for them, the sessions enabled constant and regular updates on the needs of farmers, ranchers and foresters. Scott urged that the members place the uncertainty, inflation, and regulations as challenges producers are experiencing in their proper context. He noted, “We are still feeling the impacts of the pandemic on our supply chains. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted manufacturing across the globe, and exacerbated labor shortages.”
Referring to the important actions to address those issues taken by the Biden Administration, Scott listed the Ocean Shipping Reform Act that helped avert a rail crisis, the bipartisan Infrastructure, Investment and Jobs Act with more than $2.9 billion for rural broadband, water storage and a new Bioproduct Pilot Program. He reports those as the largest infrastructure investment ever. In addition, Scott included the Inflation Reduction Act to mitigate climate change and lead renewable energy investment to pay dividends well into the future.
Also, Scott’s statement said, “We have also seen how international conflicts continue to reverberate throughout our economy. Former President trump’s trade war with China was devastating to many American producers and domestic manufacturers, and more recently the Russian invasion of Ukraine has had significant impacts on fertilizer, grain, and fuel costs. The cause of inflation isn’t singular in nature; it is the result of a variety of factors.”
Finally, Scott urged, “And with that in mind, we should also strive to focus on the issues that are within the House Agriculture Committee’s jurisdiction so that we can be the most impactful in our work ahead.”