In a July 23 letter to congressional leaders, Oklahoma’s agriculture groups voiced their support for U.S. House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas, R-Okla., and Ranking Member Collin Peterson, D-Minn., for the success in passing the FARRM Act through the committee with a strong bipartisan vote. The farm groups requested House leaders to continue pushing the legislation forward.
“We request immediate consideration (of the farm bill) by the full House,” the agricultural groups wrote in the letter.
In the letter, sent to Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., the farm groups praised the Agriculture Committee’s legislation as it provides a balanced safety net for all commodities and regions. Action must be taken now because producers nationwide need to make cropping, financing, and marketing decisions.
Specifically, the group pointed out:
• The American public needs a safe and healthy food and fiber supply. The swift passage of this bill will ensure access to these needs. Especially at risk today are nutrition authorizations.
• Additional programs nationwide face authorization risks, including conservation and disaster programs. This is especially important as the nation deals with severe drought.
The farm groups believe a lack of certainty and direction caused by a delayed farm bill will have widespread economic impact, such as impaired financial decisions for lenders and borrowers, including renewal of operating capital.
In the face of the growing widespread drought and possible food shortages, the farm groups believe passage of the farm bill will reduce risk and ease tension.
“While representing a wide range of interests,” the groups said, “we are united in our view that the bill should receive floor time and be finalized this year.”
The groups that signed the letter are:
Oklahoma Secretary and Commissioner of Agriculture, Jim Reese
Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry
American Farmers & Ranchers
Great Plains Canola Association
Oklahoma Agribusiness Retailers Association
Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association
Oklahoma Conservation Commission
Oklahoma Agricultural Cooperative Council
Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts
Oklahoma Cotton Council
Oklahoma Farm Bureau
Oklahoma Grain and Feed Association
Oklahoma Livestock Marketing Association
Oklahoma Peanut Commission
Oklahoma Pork Council
Oklahoma Poultry Federation
Oklahoma Sorghum Association
Oklahoma Wheat Growers Association
Producers Cooperative Oil Mill
Whitetails of Oklahoma
-30-
