WASHINGTON, DC – Earlier today, the House Committee on Agriculture held a hearing on “Increasing Demand and Opportunities for Homegrown Products Here and Abroad,” featuring testimony from several agricultural groups and farmers, including Patrick Johnson Jr., partner at Cypress Brake Planting Co., a family farming operation based in Tunica, MS that grows rice, cotton, corn, soybeans, and wheat.
In his opening statement, Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA) acknowledged that “times are tough in the farm economy today” and that “farmers and feeling the pain,” and said, “Supporting American producers is inherently linked to the idea of increasing demand — largely because American producers are so good at what they do.” Thompson highlighted several provisions included in the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 that passed the House in April that aim to bolster demand and spoke about additional opportunities to bolster those efforts. “There are also important policy levers available that fall outside of this committee’s jurisdiction, such as the Grown in America Act and the Buying American Cotton Act, which would use tax incentives to encourage greater use of U.S.-grown grains and cotton in finished products sold to American consumers,” Thompson said.
Johnson discussed how the tax credit provided through the Grown in America Act (H.R. 1707) would benefit all segments of the rice industry from farm to the mill and ultimately the end user of the rice. One of the purposes of the bill is to increase domestic demand for U.S. grown commodities in order to provide greater value to producers in a more reliable domestic market relative to the shifting and uncertain export markets many commodities heavily rely on. USA Rice similarly participated in a Congressional briefing in April (see USA Rice Daily, April 23, 2026), highlighting the importance of the Bill.
USA Rice is working closely with the Ag Investment for America and other partners to build cosponsor support for the Grown in America Act and find a legislative opportunity to move the bill forward.
In an exchange with Rep. Rick Crawford (R-AR), Johnson highlighted how important the Grown in America Act is for the rice industry in particular, describing the critical need to incentivize investment in both the supply chain and the use of domestically grown rice.
Economic analysis from Texas A&M University’s Agricultural and Food Policy Center found that the Grown in America Act would generate $2.36 billion in increased economic activity and output and create at least 7,000 new jobs annually, with the benefits widely distributed in every state and most Congressional districts. The Grown in America Act would provide a 25 percent tax credit to U.S. companies and cooperatives based on the value of their domestic purchases of commodities for use in food or beverage production. The greater domestic sourcing a company does relative to imported commodities, the greater the tax credit benefit.
The bill also requires at least 50 percent domestic sourcing to be eligible for the credit, and at least a 5 percent increase in domestic sourcing each year until reaching at least 85 percent domestic sourcing threshold to remain eligible – the provision is intended to further incentivize domestic purchasing and maximize the use of U.S. grown crops.
Other witnesses included Alexis Taylor, Chief Global Policy Officer, International Fresh Produce Association; Carlyle Currier, President, Colorado Farm Bureau; Alex Buck, Chairman of the Board, Plant Based Products Council; Tyler Shields, Chief Operating Officer, Bingaman & Son Lumber, Inc.; and Chad Franke, President, Rocky Mountain Farmers Union.
Access written testimony and watch the full hearing here.