Tony St. James reporting from the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday for All Ag News (Photo courtesy of RFD-TV)
WASHINGTON, DC – What will the next farm bill hold for farmers, ranchers, dairymen, and rural communities? That’s what Tony St. James with All Ag News asked the incoming Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee and the ranking member of the Senate Agriculture Committee over the past week.
Reporting from Capitol Hill, St. James spoke with Rep. G.T. Thompson (PA-15), who will take the reins of the House Ag Committee following the midterm elections that returned control of the lower chamber to Republicans. Thompson, who learned the ropes from former Chairman Mike Conaway from Midland (TX), says there are three options: let the current law expire in 2023, extend the current farm bill, or write a new one. “We’re going to do our job,” he says, and the Committee will write a new bill.
From the upper chamber, St. James spoke with Arkansas’ Senior Senator John Boozman, who will continue to be the highest-ranking Republican in the Senate Ag Committee. On Tuesday, the Committee held its first Farm Bill hearing focused on the Rural Development title. Boozman expressed his concern that the Administration has not been focused on farmers and ranchers through expanding trade deals but did give high marks to the Under-Secretary for Rural Development at USDA, Xochitl Torres Small (from New Mexico), for addressing concerns of the Committee.
