A steady stream of lawmakers filed into the House Ag Committee's hearing room Tuesday where they advocated for changes to crop insurance, trade program expansion and a slate of other policies on their farm bill wishlists.
At a "member day" hearing that spanned nearly two hours, lawmakers who aren't on the ag committee were given a chance to advocate for policies they'd like to see implemented in the sprawling 12-title piece of legislation,
Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., urged the committee to cap crop insurance payments, while also expanding crop insurance options for specialty crops. He pointed to a recent GAO report that suggested the federal government could save "hundreds of millions per year" by reducing crop insurance companies’ rate of return on the program in line with market conditions.
"Crop insurance reform is not just low-hanging fruit — it's picking it up off the ground," Blumenauer told Agri-Pulse after the hearing.
Following the hearing, Committee Chair Glenn Thompson, R-Pa., criticized the report. He said that the GAO didn't consider "the actual positive impacts" of crop insurance.
"The bigger the farm, the higher the risk. And this is about risk management," Thompson told reporters. "This is not about equity, this is not about any other themes that you would like to apply to it."
Rep. Michelle Fischbach, R-Minn., used her time at the microphone to call for "higher coverage levels more affordable for producers." She said ad hoc programs are still being authorized to pay farmers, despite the intention for crop insurance to fill that role.
"If we can increase those numbers, increase the reimbursement rate, make sure that it is feasible for them to purchase that higher rate of insurance, then we will make sure that they have the coverage that they need," Fischbach told Agri-Pulse. "[Then] we won't have to come back every time and have an argument here about whether or not we're going to reimburse because there was a drought or high winds or something like that."
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Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., urged the committee to expand the Market Access Program, which allows USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service to share costs with agricultural groups, cooperatives, and state regional trade groups for foreign marketing and promotional activities.
Newhouse also said he was concerned about a "lack of urgency and collaboration from USDA in updating organic standards." He urged the committee to pass the Continuous Improvement and Accountability in Organic Standards Act, which would require USDA to request public input every five years on changes to organic standards.
"Consumer trust in organics relies on strong and consistently updated voluntary standards that reflect the latest facts on environmental and ecological data, consumer demands and innovative best practices," Newhouse told the committee.
Rep. Sean Casten, D-Ill., urged the committee to pass his COVER Act, which would provide farmers who plant cover crops with a $5-per-acre discount on their crop insurance premiums. The bill is modeled after state-level programs in Iowa, Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin.
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