Republicans on the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee have released framework for a new GOP backed Farm Bill.
Senator Tommy Tuberville, a member of the committee, applauded the new framework Wednesday and said that an updated Farm Bill is vital for both Alabama and America’s producers.
“Every time I visit Alabama, I hear from farmers who are struggling to stay afloat in Joe Biden’s economy,” said Tuberville. “They need a Farm Bill that will help them shoulder the immense burden of feeding, fueling, and clothing our country—not a woke laundry list of burdensome climate regulations. Unlike the $1.5-trillion-dollar-giveaway from Senate Democrats, the Republican Farm Bill framework actually puts farmers first. Our framework would increase reference prices, expand access to capital, and boost market opportunities.”
“I’m glad to see that the Farm Bill passed out of the House AG Committee with bipartisan support, and hope this will spark the Senate AG Committee to take action.”
RELATED: Alabama’s food, agriculture sector provides $51.2 billion economic impact, more than 334,548 jobs
The Senate Republican framework includes several of Tuberville’s agriculture priorities for Alabama’s foresters, farmers, and producers.
Among those include efforts to modernize water systems, introducing a bipartisan amendment in October 2023 to increase funding for clean water and sewage systems in low-income rural areas.
The senator has also focused on combating foreign influence in American agriculture. He introduced bills such as the Foreign Adversary Risk Management Act and the Protecting America’s Agricultural Land from Foreign Harm Act, which are reflected in the House Farm Bill and Senate Republican framework.
To support Alabama’s pecan and tree nut farmers, Tuberville’s Farmers’ Market Expansion Act aims to include these products in the USDA’s Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program, benefiting low-income seniors and expanding market opportunities for farmers, his office promotes.
The Feral Swine Eradication Act, introduced by Tuberville, seeks to make permanent a pilot program to control the feral swine population, which causes significant agricultural damage. The House Farm Bill and Senate Republican framework allocate $150 million for this purpose from 2025 to 2029.
RELATED: Tuberville introduces Feral Swine Eradication Act
Tuberville’s initiatives also include expanding crop protections by addressing gaps in crop insurance coverage for winter oilseed crops and increasing reference prices for key agricultural programs. These proposals are included in the House Farm Bill and Senate Republican framework.
To improve access to capital for farmers, Tuberville has pushed for higher loan caps for farm operating and ownership loans, addressing the financial challenges faced by many farmers. The House Farm Bill includes language to increase these limits.
Tuberville also underscored prioritizing expanding broadband access in rural communities, emphasizing this need in a subcommittee hearing on rural broadband connectivity.
The Senate GOP legislation builds on the House’s Republican Farm Bill, which recently passed out of the House’s agriculture committee in a 33-21 vote.
Austen Shipley is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on X @ShipleyAusten
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