Saturday, April 22, 2023

Farm bureau members talk to congressman about Farm Bill

San Luis Obispo County Farm Bureau members spoke with Congressman Salud Carbajal this month about the 2023 Farm Bill. 

On April 11, the San Luis Obispo County Farm Bureau hosted a listening session with Congressman Salud Carbajal to discuss the 2023 Farm Bill and storm disaster issues. During the meeting, Farm Bureau board member Tom Ikeda highlighted the need to modify the USDA Farm Service Agency's Emergency Conservation Program. 

Ikeda spoke about how January's storms had inundated his Arroyo Grande vegetable fields with water, but the cost of running generators and pumps to remove the water was not an eligible expense under the program. Other members present also expressed their frustrations with the complex federal disaster designation process and the various USDA funds available based on different designations.

Carbajal, who was reappointed to the House Agriculture Committee this session, stated that some of his Farm Bill priorities include defending the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), expanding support for specialty crops, and supporting agriculture research.

The current farm bill is due to expire on September 30, and although U.S. House and Senate agriculture leaders have indicated their intention to pass a new farm bill on time this year, previous history suggests that this may be a challenging task. Temporary extensions have been granted for previous farm bills to provide Congress with more time to negotiate a new bill.

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