Rep. Mann and Ag Committee Chair Thompson listen to community about Farm Bill
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As Congress begins work on the 2023 U.S. Farm Bill, the head of the House Committee on Agriculture came to central Kansas to hear from the people who it will impact the most.
Rep. Glenn "GT" Thompson, of the Pennsylvania 15th District and chairman of the House Ag Committee, joined Kansas District 1 Rep. Tracey Mann Tuesday morning at the Knopf Farm in rural Gypsum for a listening session that was attended by over 100 people.
"It's a busy time of the year and I'm grateful that each of you took time to make the drive out and enjoy a beautiful morning here on a Kansas wheat farm," said Justin Knopf as he welcomed the farmers, ranchers, producers and others who attended. "This listening session is a chance to bring our various perspectives to the table as we work together toward a common goal...preserving and strengthening American agriculture."
Mann echoed the remarks made by Knopf, saying he and Thompson were in Saline County on this day to support the ag community.
"We're all here because we care about agriculture, we care about getting ag policy right and we want to see Kansas and American farmers, ranchers and producers thrive," Mann said.
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Emphasizing listening rather than talking
While the congressmen made some opening remarks, they both said they were more interested in hearing and listening to the people.
"(We) planned this session to listen, share and make this Farm Bill the strongest one in American history," Mann said.
Thompson agreed that he was looking forward to what the people out in the country had to say.
"Making (the Farm Bill) highly effective is dependent on bringing the voices from Kansas...to the table," Thompson said. "You don't want us writing a Farm Bill...or any piece of legislation just listening to the voices of the bubble inside of Washington."
Similar topics brought up
The majority of the session had people asking questions and giving their input about various topics the Farm Bill could address, but there were a few topics that many people talked about.
Matt Splitter, a corn farmer from Sterling, was the first of many to mention how crucial crop insurance is right now.
"We're in a D3 (Extreme) and D4 (Exceptional) drought right now," Splitter said. "It's a struggle right now. If it wasn't for crop insurance, we wouldn't be able to continue on."
Another topic mentioned by several people was conservation efforts and the impact of the climate.
"We know that conservation and climate are going to be part of the discussions for the Farm Bill and we believe that agriculture is a big part of these discussions," said Mark Schlatter, who works for American AgCredit.
Schlatter said he would like to see voluntary, incentive-based tools for producers, more private-sector solutions, emphasize the need for more research and not have lending decisions from the bill be based on requiring specific conservation practices from these producers.
Finally, a topic brought up by several people was rural development, specifically in regard to expanding broadband internet access.
"This next Farm Bill must invest in rural development," said Ross Plumberg of Vermillion. "Basic needs like healthcare facilities, high-speed internet, fire departments and clean drinking water are all supported by the Farm Bill."
Plumberg, who serves on the board of directors at Land O'Lakes Inc, said the company has been part of efforts to increase broadband access through the American Connection Project, and helped stand up more than 3,000 Wi-Fi locations in the country during the COVID pandemic.
"Along the way, we learned a lot about the challenges facing rural communities," Plumberg said.
Closing comments and a photo with the next generation
To wrap up the session, both Mann and Thompson offered a few words on what they had heard from the public, promising to take them back to Washington as the Farm Bill discussions get underway.
"Rest assured, all the comments that were made, (we have) taken notes and written (them) down," Mann said. "Please keep this up. We need to hear from you."
Mann encouraged people to go to the House Ag Committee website, agriculture.house.gov to submit comments and also to contact his office or the offices of other members in the committee.
Finally, Mann and Thompson finished the day by taking a photo with the Southeast of Saline FFA members, who helped direct parking before the listening session.
This article originally appeared on Salina Journal: House Ag Chair Thompson, Rep. Mann host listening session on Farm Bill
