The letter from Indiana's House members highlights several bipartisan priorities for the upcoming 2023 Farm Bill. The letter emphasizes the importance of passing a strong farm bill that protects producers and ensures a steady supply of safe, affordable, and abundant food, fuel, and fiber. The priorities outlined in the letter include:
- Farm Safety Net:
The delegation supports prioritizing risk management tools and funding for federal crop insurance and commodity programs. They also advocate for a robust crop insurance program without reductions in premium cost share. Adequate risk management tools for livestock producers, including contract growers, are also mentioned as a priority. Finally, the letter suggests increasing reference prices and providing farmers with the option to update base acres while maintaining planting flexibility.
- Conservation:
Indiana leads the nation in cover crop usage, and the letter emphasizes the importance of voluntary and incentive-based federal conservation programs. The delegation wants to ensure that all federal conservation programs remain as such.
- Nutrition:
The letter recognizes the significance of nutrition programs, such as SNAP benefits, which support over 290,000 Hoosier families. It advocates for maintaining a unified farm bill that keeps nutrition programs and farm programs together, as these programs also support agriculture by making purchases directly from farmers.
- Foreign Animal Disease (FAD) Prevention:
Livestock and poultry producers face increasing threats from FADs like African swine fever, Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, and foot-and-mouth disease. The letter calls for adequate funding for early detection, prevention, and rapid response tools to address potential disease outbreaks. It also emphasizes the need for robust laboratory capacity for surveillance and a viable stockpile of vaccines through the National Animal Vaccine and Veterinary Countermeasures Bank (NAVVCB) to respond to intentional or unintentional FAD introductions.
- Market Access Program (MAP) and Foreign Market Development (FMD):
The United States is a leader in agricultural exports, and the delegation supports the MAP and FMD programs. These programs are aimed at building commercial export markets for U.S. agricultural products. The letter stresses the importance of supporting these programs to ensure continued access to new markets for American agriculture products.
The letter was supported by several agricultural associations in Indiana, including the Indiana Corn Growers Association, Indiana Soybean Alliance, Indiana State Poultry Association, Indiana Pork Producers Association, Indiana Beef Cattle Association, and Indiana Farm Bureau.
Categories: Indiana, Crops, Corn, Soybeans, Livestock, Hogs