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Educating new lawmakers on the 2023 Farm Bill

A leader with American Farm Bureau says education on ag issues and the 2023 Farm Bill process is critical as there are more than 200 new members of Congress.

Andrew Walmsley, senior director of government affairs, says farm bureau members have an opportunity.

“Legislators need to be educated. With 260 new lawmakers that were not here for the 2018 Farm Bill, there is a ripe opportunity to tell agriculture’s story.”

When asked about the price tag of the bill, he said legislators will have to figure that out.

“It clearly makes a challenge in the budget environment we’re living in. The importance of Congress having a role, shaping a farm bill, taking input from stakeholders to create the best policy that’s possible is what’s critically important,” he says. “For farmers and ranchers, identifying the needs and challenges that are out there for their lawmakers and then they have to figure out how to do the spending piece and put a bill together.”

The Congressional Budget Office is forecasting the cost of 2023 farm bill programs at $1.5 trillion over the next 10 years.

Walmsley says the amount of money spent on nutrition in the farm bill could be a challenge for some lawmakers.

“It will be a challenge for republicans and democrats to navigate particularly in the U.S. House. We’re talking about what is over a $1 trillion farm bill for the first time with a majority of that because of nutrition spending,” he says. “So, looking at ways to make sure resources are being utilized as Congress intended but also recognizing that folks need assistance. It’s not just an urban-suburban issue, we see the need for nutrition assistance in rural areas too and we want to make sure it gets to those who need it.”

AFBF priorities for the farm bill include maintaining a link between nutrition and farm program titles as well as funding for federal conservation programs that have environmental benefits.

Walmsley spoke to media this week during the Ohio Farm Bureau County Presidents’ Trip to D.C.

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