The House is years overdue in passing a complete farm bill. Now, U.S. Rep. Kat Cammack wants to hear from Florida stakeholders on what a new bill would look like.
The Gainesville Republican announced a series of listening sessions with farmers, ranchers and agriculture community leaders throughout the state.
“As Congress prepares to reauthorize the Farm Bill, these listening sessions ensure Florida farmers and producers have a seat at the table,” Cammack’s Office announced in a press release. “Feedback gathered will help inform policy decisions impacting food security, rural economies, and the future of American agriculture.”
She will hold three events on Feb. 13 in distant spots within the state. Her first 90-minute stop will be in Alachua at 8 a.m. at the Santa Fe River Ranch, followed by a 1:30 p.m. visit to Warner University’s Swindle Agricultural Complex in Lake Wales, then finally a session at the John Boy Auditorium in Clewiston at 5 p.m.
Cammack is the only member of Florida’s congressional delegation now serving on the House Agriculture Committee. She has long said that despite the underrepresentation, Florida has a lot to lose if the farm bill cannot address the needs of one of the state’s top industries, agriculture.
Congress last passed a Farm Bill in 2018, and is supposed to renew it every five years. After last year’s government shutdown, the 2018 version of the legislation was again extended in November for a year. That ensured funding did not cut off for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
It also continued agriculture risk and price loss coverage for growers, as well as margin coverage and an indemnity payment program for dairy farmers. The farm bill also includes loan deficiency payments, marketing assistance loans and sugar loans.
This year, a number of issues normally contained within the farm bill have been otherwise addressed in a budget reconciliation process, according to Farm Action. But a narrower bill remains in the works as far as market stabilization and food supply transparency.
