Congressman Mike Rogers made the following statement today after the House Agriculture Committee Markup of H.R. 2, the Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018.

“The Farm Bill is one of the most important pieces of legislation we pass in Congress. This bill is critical to the nations’ Farmers and Producers, but most importantly, it’s critical for Alabama. As Alabama’s only member on the Agriculture Committee, I am happy this bill passed the Committee and I want to thank Chairman Conaway for his hard work. 

“It’s a shame Democratic members of the Committee let partisan politics and media attention win over America’s farmers, producers and families. 

“This is an important first step to having this bill signed into law, but it’s just that- a first step. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the House and Senate to send this bill to President Trump’s desk.”

Highlights of the Farm Bill for the State of Alabama and the Third Congressional District are below. 

• Increases funding for SNAP Employment & Training from $90 million to $1 billion over three years and enforces current work requirements for SNAP recipients. 

• Provides $100 million toward a pilot program to address feral swine. 

• Maintains a separate payment limitation for the peanut program.

• Authorizes substantial annual appropriations for rural broadband and requires USDA to establish forward-looking broadband standards. Also strengthens the suite of rural development initiatives to promote jobs and economic activity in rural America where employment is suffering due to the sharp downturn in the farm economy. 

• Provides the secretary the authority to prioritize projects that help communities meet the challenges of the opioid crisis.

• Maintains several provisions to help beginning farmers and ranchers establish themselves in agriculture. The bill enhances access to crop insurance and establishes a scholarship program at 1890 Land Grant Institutions, like Tuskegee, designed to assist students interested in careers in agriculture.

• Keeps American agriculture at the forefront of innovation and productivity through cutting-edge research and support of the nation’s land grant, like Tuskegee and Auburn, and non-land grant colleges of agriculture to provide the safest, most abundant, most affordable food supply in the world.

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