Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster, Ron Hays, is talking with Congressman Frank Lucas about the House Committee on Agriculture Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson’s 2024 Farm Bill proposal which was released last week. Lucas is the former Chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture and now serves as the Senior member of the committee, aiding in the completion of the 2024 Farm Bill.
The markup of the 2024 Farm Bill is scheduled for May 23, 2024- click here for current details as found on the House Ag Committee website.
“We don’t need to rewrite the entire Farm Bill,” Lucas said. “We did that in ’14 when I was Chairman. We modified and improved in ’18, and now it is time to do that process again. By looking at the commodity title, conservation and development, and all of those sections, I think the Chairman has done an exceptional job, and I think we will be pleased with what we see.”
Lucas said the controversial part of the bill will most likely be the nutrition title, as this title is usually the main priority of Democrats in the committee.
“When the Biden Administration first came in, they had a Democrat majority in the House and Senate,” Lucas said. “Their goal was to spend money, not just in conservation but across the entire gamut of the Federal Government. The allocated moneys that could not be spent in a timely or orderly fashion. In this Farm Bill, we are going to reallocate those dollars to existing programs like EQIP (Environmental Quality Incentives Program) that have demonstrated themselves time and time again.”
Regarding the Biden Administration’s passion for social justice and environmental justice, Lucas said the next Farm Bill will focus more on conservation and less on climate change protocols. Now, Lucas said the priority is getting voluntary, incentive-based efforts across the finish line.
“In order to qualify for these resources or programs they wanted to fund, you had to farm the way they wanted you to farm, and you had to be the kind of farmer they wanted you to be,” Lucas said.
When it comes to ARC and PLC, Lucas said farmers will still choose between one or the other each year.
“When I visit with folks back home as well as stakeholders and representatives in D.C., I think there is an understanding that the Chairman and the committee has done a good job on the commodity title,” Lucas said. “Let’s be honest. Farm Bills are still about raising food and fiber. You have got to make sure it is on the shelves and available to consumers at home to sell our surplus into the world market.”
Lucas said he believes that the focus on the Republican side of the committee is on production, and they have worked together to create a good Farm Bill for American producers. As crop insurance is one of those top priorities, Lucas also talked about the importance of an effective and affordable safety net.
On the livestock side, Lucas said the Farm Bill maintains programs such as LRP (Livestock Risk Protection) and the LIP Program (Livestock Indemnity Program).
“In the complicated world that we live in for both crops and livestock, that safety net has to be there for everybody,” Lucas said.
Lucas and Hays also talked more about support for conservation and market promotion programs, the OFF Act, GIPSA provisions, and more. Click the listen bar above the story to listen to the full conversation!
