After the Farm Bill listening session last week, Senator James Lankford and Senator John Boozman agreed to take a few questions outside of Heritage Place in Oklahoma City. Several agricultural producers and agricultural groups were on hand to talk about agriculture with the Senators.
Lankford first talked about his excitement for having the chance to spend the day showcasing the ins and outs of Oklahoma agriculture to Senator John Boozman.
“It is a very full day trying to get the ranking member as much exposure as we can to Oklahoma agriculture, but also talk about the importance of food, fiber, and how important that is, and the effects of inflation right now that so many families are experiencing just based on the cost of food,” Lankford said. “The cost of food has gone up 20 percent across the country.”
Boozman said he is not a stranger to Oklahoma, as he grew up in Fort Smith, Arkansas.
“We are here talking about the Farm Bill,” Boozman said. “It is one of the most important things we do in Congress. We do it every five years, and it is all about feeding America, and not only about feeding America but feeding the nation. We are blessed with the safest, cheapest food supply in the world and that is because of the hard work of our farm community.”
While input costs are up and commodity prices are down, Boozman noted that challenges like these are why it is important to write a Farm Bill that is in the best interest of everyone involved.
“Farm Bills aren’t about Democrats or Republicans; they are bipartisan, so it is different regions of the country,” Boozman said. “Southern agriculture is different than the Midwest and California, and the list goes on.”
Boozman said he believes the answers to issues must come from the ground up.
“Food security is national security,” Boozman said. “That is really the bottom line.”
When asked what he would like to see in the Senate Farm Bill, Boozman said he would like to first make sure the safety nets and risk management tools are in place.
“They (farmers) must have the ability to be able to plant and know they are not going to get totally wiped out,” Boozman said.
Boozman also talked about the importance of trade, conservation, and research for agriculture. Thanks to the hard work of many universities, Boozman said production has gone up dramatically. Speaking of that hard work, Boozman applauded Oklahoma State University ag research.
Regarding GT Thompson’s release of his 2024 Farm Bill proposal, Boozman said he believes the House Farm Bill is at an advantage because House members have done a great job of getting out and talking to producers across the country about their needs and priorities.
Boozman said the Senate should release their own Farm Bill framework in a week or so.
Listen to the full conversation to hear Lankford give an update on his SOIL bill, which works to protect Oklahoma’s agricultural land from foreign ownership and the detrimental impacts that follow.
To read about Lankford’s SOIL Act, CLICK HERE.
