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Indiana Senator hears Hoosier farmers farm bill priorities

Indiana Senator Joe Donnelly will be armed with Hoosier farm bill priorities when the Senate Agriculture Committee resumes farm bill discussions following their August recess.

Indiana pork farmer Mike Beard says the livestock industry is requesting funding for an offshore Foot-and-Mouth Disease vaccine bank in the next Farm Bill.

Beard says increased biosecurity measures by livestock farmers have helped prevent disease outbreaks, but it’s not enough.

“The cost to fund a (foot-and-mouth disease) vaccine bank pales in comparison to the cost of an uncontained outbreak,” he says. “An FMD outbreak would have devastating consequences on the US economy if not contained quickly through vaccination.”

Sarah Delbecq, a grain farmer from Dekalb County, says she’s concerned ARC and PLC won’t provide enough coverage for farmers.

She tells Brownfield they don’t want to reinvent the programs, but they want them reevaluated.

“The concern is do these programs offer the safety net that’s appropriate for where prices currently stand,” she says.

Senator Joe Donnelly says Hoosier farmer input is crucial in the Farm Bill debate.

“We’re going to make sure we take all of that information and incorporate it into the farm bill as we write it,” he says.

Indiana Farm Bureau hosted the Farm Bill listening during the Indiana State Fair.

Audio: Sarah Delbecq, Dekalb County

Audio: Indiana Farm Bill listening session