House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) pledged “this is the year to do a farm bill.” McCarthy delivered remarks at a listening session for the House Agriculture Committee at the World Ag Expo in California on Tuesday. He cited the bipartisan attendance at the event, which included both Republicans and Democrats. But McCarthy also signaled Republicans will review work requirements in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (food stamps), a topic that could stall action on the farm bill if seen as too onerous.
McCarthy mentioned the growing needs of farms that grow fruits, vegetables, nuts and other specialty crops. “There’s a lot of different concerns when it comes especially out here with specialty crops and others,” he said, emphasizing a need for research and market development funding.
McCarthy urged those in attendance to offer their views, pointing out that beyond the farm bill, there needs to be fair trade. “When we have fair trade, we can compete and we can put our products on every table,” McCarthy stated.
Topics mentioned echoed those often cited in Washington: crop insurance, market promotion via the Market Access Program and Foreign Market Development Program, possible need for a permanent disaster assistance program and dairy program issues, including changing the pricing formula that could result in an increase in make allowances, the formula used to determine how much processors get for their costs.
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