Chairman Boozman Highlights USDA Progress, Calls for Continued Support for Farmers and Rural Communities

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Chairman John Boozman (R-AR) led an oversight hearing examining how the U.S. Department of Agriculture is addressing the challenges facing farmers, ranchers and foresters while advancing policies to strengthen rural America.

The following is the Chairman's opening statement as prepared for delivery:

"Good morning and welcome. It is my privilege to call this hearing to order as we examine the work of the United States Department of Agriculture and how we can best support our nation's farmers, ranchers, and foresters as well as strengthen rural America.

"I welcome our witness, the Honorable Brooke Rollins, our 33rd Secretary of Agriculture.

"Thank you for being here today and for your steadfast commitment to America's agriculture community. We appreciate your willingness to serve and your active engagement with farmers, ranchers, foresters and rural stakeholders where they live and work.

"Those conversations provide valuable insight into the challenges and opportunities facing the men and women who grow our nation's food, fuel and fiber. They are impacted by USDA and depend on USDA programs daily.

"What I hear from Arkansas family farmers, and stakeholders from across the country, is that the farm economy is struggling. Producers continue to face high input costs, rising labor expenses, elevated interest rates and market uncertainty. It is necessary that we work together to create an environment where agriculture can thrive and where the next generation sees farming, ranching and forestry as viable and rewarding careers.

"One way we have delivered on our commitment to producers is through the Working Families Tax Cuts.

"The President signed into law historic investments to farm country one year ago providing long overdue updates to agriculture policies that better reflect today's realities producers in Arkansas and across the nation experience.

"These improvements respond directly to concerns farmers have raised for years and provides meaningful support and predictability to help them continue operating for years to come.

"We appreciate USDA's urgency in implementing these policies so farmers can realize their benefits this fall. I look forward to hearing further updates on USDA's implementation of these programs.

"This landmark law also includes investments in USDA's premier animal health programs to help mitigate threats such as the New World Screwworm. We know how critical these investments are, particularly as six domestic cases have been confirmed in just the last week.

"Madam Secretary, we appreciate the aggressive approach you and your team have taken to slow the advancement of this pest toward our border and to implement measures that protect America's livestock industry.

"We have successfully eradicated New World Screwworm before, and I am confident we can do so again. We are looking to you and your team at USDA to continue leading this effort and safeguarding the health and security of America's herd.

"We must continue supporting agriculture sectors vital to our rural communities. Our cotton producers have faced significant economic headwinds in recent years. Cotton remains a cornerstone crop for Arkansas and states across the Cotton Belt, supporting farm families, rural communities and manufacturers.

"This is why I strongly support the Buying American Cotton Act. I'm pleased to see USDA's recent announcement promoting the domestic cotton industry.

"At a time when our producers are competing in a challenging global marketplace, we should be doing everything we can to support American-grown products and the hardworking men and women who produce them.

"Similarly, I know many of our committee members on both sides of the aisle support year-round E15. I do, too - but we also need to protect energy security for local and regional communities and protect those jobs in rural America.

"I support the proposal put forward by Senators Fischer and Capito, and hope the Senate moves quickly on that bill.

"Just as importantly, our producers must have access to the resources they need to succeed. Fertilizer remains one of the most significant input costs facing famers, and they are seeing dramatic rises in costs and are concerned about future availability.

"The results of an American Farm Bureau Federation survey this year underscores the concerns I continue to hear from producers in Arkansas and across the country. Among Arkansas farmers who responded, only 12 percent reported pre-ordering fertilizer, highlighting the uncertainty and financial pressures producers are experiencing.

"I appreciate USDA's attention to this issue as well as the opportunity to join you to discuss long-term strategies to lower the costs of fertilizer. I look forward to working with my colleagues to advance policies to provide relief in the future.

"We have a tremendous opportunity before us to update farm policies in Farm Bill 2.0. I look forward to releasing text very soon that incorporates many bipartisan measures and just as importantly, the priorities of farmers, ranchers and foresters so they have updated policies to meet their needs. I am hopeful we can deliver a Farm Bill 2.0 that farmers, ranchers, foresters and rural communities deserve.

"Lastly, I remain committed to advancing the farm assistance package Senator Hoeven and I proposed in January. There are many additional challenges that have risen since then that demonstrate the urgency to provide our producers, including our specialty crop producers, with more support.

"Again, thank you for being here and I look forward to your testimony."