Agriculture
Giving our farmers and ranchers the certainty they need to feed and clothe America.
Texas’ 19th Congressional District boasts more than 14 million acres of farmland and produces more cotton than any other congressional district in the country.
Our farmers and ranchers work hard to put food on our plates and clothes on our backs, but they do so in the face of tremendous uncertainty. High fuel prices make operating tractors and cotton pickers more costly, and the drought that plagued for the past few years has affected our harvests.
As Vice Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, one my top priorities is making sure our farmers and ranchers have consistent and reliable government policies in place so they can make long-term business decisions. One of the ways to do this is to improve crop insurance so producers have more of a stake in their risk management practices.
The 2014 Farm Bill:
In February of 2014, the House and the Senate passed the Agricultural Act of 2014 (better known as the Farm Bill), which set the federal agriculture policy for the next 5 years. I’m proud of our work in the House to formulate long term policies for our producers, and I’m glad we were able to produce savings in both the agriculture and nutrition portions of the bill.
I’m now closely monitoring USDA as they implement the reforms included in this bill. The success of our farmers and ranchers is vital to the economic viability of the 19th District.
Need more info? Check out these links:
House Committee on Agriculture
United States Department of Agriculture
Texas Department of Agriculture
More on Agriculture
If you work in agriculture, you know that a lot of modern equipment like combines, planters, and harvesters have fuel tanks that can hold 250 gallons or more. But current government regulations prevent agricultural employees from transporting more than 118 gallons at a time. That means that during the busiest times of year, producers are forced to make multiple trips to the fuel station just to fill up their equipment. That adds time and money that they can’t afford.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps, was meant to provide support for families in need. But in recent years, relaxed eligibility standards and loopholes have allowed the program to balloon to support 44 million people. One in seven Americans is on food stamps, and the government is spending more than $70 billion a year on this program.
Crop insurance is a shared-risk program where producers pay premiums to insure themselves against crop losses. It's the preferred risk management tool for most farmers and ranchers, who have to protect their businesses against weather conditions and other factors outside of their control.
The Crop Risk Options Plan (CROP) Act allows producers to buy group shallow loss coverage when insuring their crops.