DE US Sen. Coons & US Sen. John Boozman of Arkansas Visit DE Agriculture Sites Friday with Farm Bill Up for Reauthorization this Year
On Friday, Delaware U-S Senator Chris Coons hosted U-S Senator John Boozman, Republican of Arkansas and the Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry Committee, for a listening tour of several agricultural sites in Delaware as well as a pair of roundtable discussions with farming and conservation stakeholders as discussions over the Farm Bill reauthorization continue in Washington. The pair joined Delaware Secretary of Agriculture Michael Scuse for stops at the Puglisi Egg Laying Facility Farm in Middletown, the Delaware Agriculture Museum in Dover, and Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge in Smyrna. And during roundtable discussions in Dover and Smyrna, the group heard from farmers, conservationists, and environmental stakeholders. The Farm Bill sets agriculture, nutrition, conservation and forestry policy every five years and is up for reauthorization in 2023.
Additional information from the release from Senator Coons:
The goal of the visit was to promote and receive feedback on the upcoming Farm Bill, legislation Senator Boozman is helping to negotiate alongside Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.). The bill sets agriculture, nutrition, conservation, and forestry policy every five years and is up for reauthorization in 2023.
The tour also provided an opportunity for Senator Coons to discuss his Healthy Poultry Assistance and Indemnification Act with Senator Boozman. The bill will expand the safety net and compensation program for poultry growers and layers whose flocks are hit with highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) to all poultry growers and layer operations within an HPAI control area. Senator Coons hopes to include the legislation as an amendment to the upcoming Farm Bill. Senator Coons is co-Chair and Senator Boozman is a member of the bipartisan Senate Chicken Caucus.
“From our broiler chicken and egg farms to specialty crops like lima beans and watermelons, agriculture is the First State’s number one industry, and we have a long history of conserving our resources for future generations,” said Senator Coons. “Thank you, Senator Boozman, for coming to meet Delaware farmers and growers, and for your leadership with Senator Stabenow in crafting a new Farm Bill that will benefit our states and our nation.”
“I appreciate the invitation from Senator Coons to visit with stakeholders in Delaware and hear from them directly about what we need to include in the Farm Bill. Senator Coons and I have a history of working closely together on these issues as senior members of the Appropriations Committee and through other ag-related entities like the Senate Chicken Caucus. I know firsthand what a committed advocate he is for Delaware’s farmers, growers, and conservationists,” said Senator Boozman. “Senator Coons brought an excellent group of stakeholders together to help us learn how their experiences can help shape this critical legislation in a bipartisan fashion. We left with valuable input to consider as we work to better support the agriculture community.”
“We are privileged to have the ranking member of the United States Senate Agriculture Committee visit Delaware and to listen to what those in the agricultural sector had to say about current programs in the Farm Bill and the need for additional assistance in the next Farm Bill going forward,” said Secretary Scuse. “I want to thank Senator Coons for making this happen and having Senator Boozman visit us because it is due to his efforts that this was made possible.”
“As a private non-profit organization representing Delmarva’s largest and most important industry, it is appropriate that the Delaware Agricultural Museum be the setting for a conversation between legislators and farmers on the proposed Farm Bill,” said Carolyn Claypoole, Executive Director of the Delaware Agricultural Museum. “This conversation is unique in today’s world, representing bipartisan support for multi-year trillion-dollar legislation that recognizes the fact that a vibrant agricultural industry benefits all Americans.”
