WASHINGTON, DC – Today, USA Rice, all state rice organizations, and nearly 300 other agricultural groups sent
a letter to Congressional leaders: Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA), House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) calling for action on a meaningful Farm Bill reauthorization before the end of the year.
The letter commends the House and Senate Agriculture committees for their work on the Farm Bill thus far, particularly the “swift movement in the House Committee on Agriculture and the resulting bipartisan vote of approval for the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2024.” However, the letter advises against "settling for a simple extension” of the current Farm Bill. The letter highlights challenges facing the agriculture industry, including high production costs, gaps in the farm safety net, the agricultural trade deficit, and 2024 federal support for production agriculture, which is projected to be at the lowest level since 1982.
“The Farm Bill reauthorization provides an opportunity for Congress to address serious challenges in agriculture,” the letter states. “A durable farm safety net, along with risk management tools like a strong federal crop insurance program, voluntary and locally led incentive-based conservation programs, and enhanced international marketing and promotion programs, will be critical in shoring up America’s farm families and rural communities, which otherwise face an uncertain – and potentially calamitous – future.”
Notably, the letter explains that many producers will likely face trouble as they seek operating credit for the 2025 crop year, and that “safety net provisions in current law have not kept pace with inflation and are at this point far below the threshold necessary to provide effective relief to our farmers.”
USA Rice is joining forces with other national commodity groups, including the American Soybean Association, National Association of Wheat Growers, National Corn Growers Association, National Cotton Council, National Sorghum Producers, and U.S. Peanut Federation as well as the Farm Credit Council and the American Bankers Association in a fly-in this week to meet with lawmakers and advocate directly to Congress for a new and effective Farm Bill. Expect more details in the USA Rice Daily later this week.
Read the full letter
here.