Opening Statements

Remarks as prepared for delivery:

Before I begin, I’d like to take a brief moment to echo Chairman Scott and send my thoughts and prayers to the family and staff of our late friend and colleague, Rep. Jim Hagedorn. Jim was a tireless advocate on behalf of our nation's farmers, ranchers, producers, and foresters and his love for this Committee and rural America will not soon be forgotten. I consider myself blessed to call Jim a dear friend and I am honored to have known him and worked alongside him since 2019. I send my heartfelt condolences and prayers to his entire family and staff during this time of significant loss. Our hearts are with you.

Chairman Scott, thank you for convening this hearing today and giving the members of the committee the opportunity to hear directly from these representatives of the commodity organizations regarding Title I of the farm bill. We have 19 months before the 2018 Farm Bill expires, but before we can begin thinking about the 2023 reauthorization, we must first have a thorough understanding of how current policy is performing and we kick that audit process off here today.

I want to thank the witnesses who agreed to participate in this hearing as well as the organizations they represent. Unfortunately, in the past we have seen what can happen to the farm bill when there is divisiveness and lack of consensus amongst the key stakeholders such as during the process leading up to the 2014 Farm Bill, which ultimately took over three years and a lot of ups and downs before it was enacted.

Compare that to the 2018 Farm Bill, which may have been tumultuous at times, but it marked the first time in almost 30 years that a farm bill was introduced in both chambers and enacted into law within one calendar year. Plus, the conference report was passed by a record margin in both the House and the Senate.

From my perspective, the key difference that led to success in 2018 was that the commodity organizations were rowing in the same direction.

During the development of the 2023 Farm Bill, there may be some differences of opinion along the way, but I am hopeful, and I challenge all our stakeholders to make sure that they are unified as we fight back against critics of farm policy.

Our farmers are the lifeblood of the rural economy and having a reliable domestic source of our food is a matter of National Security. Yet those who are not involved in agriculture likely don’t comprehend the enormous risks that our farmers and ranchers take on year-in-and-year-out to ensure there is food on the shelves. The disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic opened many American’s eyes to the importance of reliable food production. And while, for the average consumer, things may have somewhat returned to normal, for our farmers it is anything but. They are facing unprecedented disruptions in the supply chain for critical inputs, skyrocketing energy costs, and difficulty transporting their commodities. Though there is no silver bullet, the safety net is intended to help absorb some of the risk our farmers face. I look forward to an honest conversation about how Title I is performing in that regard. I hope the members of this committee walk away from this hearing with a thorough understanding of what is working and what needs improving.

The path to success in any farm bill reauthorization begins on the front end with hearings like this. The primary responsibility of the organizations represented here is to provide the key input Congress needs to get the policy right. Each farm bill is different and each one comes with its own unique challenges. It is critical at this stage of the game for stakeholders to give us an honest assessment of where we stand and moving forward to focus on developing the safety net our producers need rather than trying to dictate the process.

I would again like to thank the witnesses here today and I look forward to working with each of you and the organizations you represent. Mr. Chairman, I yield back.