CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — By the latest count, Texas has more farms than any other state in the nation, meaning that many of the jobs here are supported by agriculture.
It was that topic that brought two United States senators to Corpus Christi for a meeting on Tuesday.
The farm bill was enacted back in December 2018. It has been in place for five years and expires on Sept. 30 of this year.
Tuesday's meeting brought both farmers and senators to the table to talk about what needs to be in the new version.
Americans depend on the success of farmers and ranchers to keep our food safe, abundant and affordable. Many of those farmers and ranchers depend on the programs of the farm bill.
Senator John Boozman, the Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, joined Senator Ted Cruz at Gulf Compress in Corpus Christi today. They were there to meet with Coastal Bend area agricultural leaders.
“We’re working really hard to get this done this year, so that our farmers will have the ability to know that they’ve got a program in place that they can count on as they go to the bank, as they plan for the next five years," he said.
In that group was Executive Director of the South Texas Cotton & Grain Association Jeff Nunley. He said that he appreciated being able to have an actual round-table discussion, rather than being asked to just listen to a speech by a politician.
“I think it went really well. I appreciate the senators coming and being willing to listen. Sometimes, when we have politicians in the area, it's more about their message than hearing from us," he said.
As farmers and ranchers face inflation, unprecedented heat, and water sources that were once dependable now drying up due to the drought, having a practical and useable Farm Bill is imperative.
And in this case, one size does not fit all.
“If you look at the needs of rice farmers here in South Texas, or cotton farmers here in South Texas, or citrus farmers here in south Texas, those are going to be different than the needs of corn farmers in Iowa or Nebraska," said U.S. Senator Ted Cruz. "They are going to be different than the needs of the cattle ranchers in West Texas.”
In the end, it is all about giving those we have come to depend on the tools they need to keep our farms and food supply secure and sustainable.
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