[House Hearing, 116 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
ACCESS TO CONSERVATION PROGRAMS BY HISTORICALLY UNDERSERVED FARMERS
AND RANCHERS
=======================================================================
HEARING
BEFORE THE
SUBCOMMITTEE ON CONSERVATION AND FORESTRY
OF THE
COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ONE HUNDRED SIXTEENTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
__________
DECEMBER 17, 2019
__________
Serial No. 116-28
[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Printed for the use of the Committee on Agriculture
agriculture.house.gov
___________
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
39-767 PDF WASHINGTON : 2020
COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE
COLLIN C. PETERSON, Minnesota, Chairman
DAVID SCOTT, Georgia K. MICHAEL CONAWAY, Texas, Ranking
JIM COSTA, California Minority Member
MARCIA L. FUDGE, Ohio GLENN THOMPSON, Pennsylvania
JAMES P. McGOVERN, Massachusetts AUSTIN SCOTT, Georgia
FILEMON VELA, Texas ERIC A. ``RICK'' CRAWFORD,
STACEY E. PLASKETT, Virgin Islands Arkansas
ALMA S. ADAMS, North Carolina SCOTT DesJARLAIS, Tennessee
Vice Chair VICKY HARTZLER, Missouri
ABIGAIL DAVIS SPANBERGER, Virginia DOUG LaMALFA, California
JAHANA HAYES, Connecticut RODNEY DAVIS, Illinois
ANTONIO DELGADO, New York TED S. YOHO, Florida
TJ COX, California RICK W. ALLEN, Georgia
ANGIE CRAIG, Minnesota MIKE BOST, Illinois
ANTHONY BRINDISI, New York DAVID ROUZER, North Carolina
JEFFERSON VAN DREW, New Jersey RALPH LEE ABRAHAM, Louisiana
JOSH HARDER, California TRENT KELLY, Mississippi
KIM SCHRIER, Washington JAMES COMER, Kentucky
CHELLIE PINGREE, Maine ROGER W. MARSHALL, Kansas
CHERI BUSTOS, Illinois DON BACON, Nebraska
SEAN PATRICK MALONEY, New York NEAL P. DUNN, Florida
SALUD O. CARBAJAL, California DUSTY JOHNSON, South Dakota
AL LAWSON, Jr., Florida JAMES R. BAIRD, Indiana
TOM O'HALLERAN, Arizona JIM HAGEDORN, Minnesota
JIMMY PANETTA, California
ANN KIRKPATRICK, Arizona
CYNTHIA AXNE, Iowa
______
Anne Simmons, Staff Director
Matthew S. Schertz, Minority Staff Director
______
Subcommittee on Conservation and Forestry
ABIGAIL DAVIS SPANBERGER, Virginia, Chair
MARCIA L. FUDGE, Ohio DOUG LaMALFA, California, Ranking
TOM O'HALLERAN, Arizona Minority Member
CHELLIE PINGREE, Maine RICK W. ALLEN, Georgia
CYNTHIA AXNE, Iowa RALPH LEE ABRAHAM, Louisiana
TRENT KELLY, Mississippi
Felix Muniz, Jr., Subcommittee Staff Director
(ii)
C O N T E N T S
----------
Page
LaMalfa, Hon. Doug, a Representative in Congress from California,
opening statement.............................................. 3
Spanberger, Hon. Abigail Davis, a Representative in Congress from
Virginia, opening statement.................................... 1
Prepared statement........................................... 2
Witnesses
White, Irvin D., rancher, Louisa, VA............................. 4
Prepared statement........................................... 5
LaFleur, Kimberly J., Owner and Operator, Mayflower Cranberries,
Plympton, MA................................................... 9
Prepared statement........................................... 10
Robinson, Esq., Quinton N., Policy Advisor, Rural Coalition/
Coalicion Rural, Washington, D.C............................... 13
Prepared statement........................................... 14
Sanchez, LTC Andrew J., (Ret.), USAF; farmer/rancher, Sierra
County, NM..................................................... 16
Prepared statement........................................... 18
ACCESS TO CONSERVATION PROGRAMS BY HISTORICALLY UNDERSERVED FARMERS
AND RANCHERS
----------
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2019
House of Representatives,
Subcommittee on Conservation and Forestry,
Committee on Agriculture,
Washington, D.C.
The Subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 11:22 a.m., in
Room 1300 of the Longworth House Office Building, Hon. Abigail
Davis Spanberger [Chair of the Subcommittee] presiding.
Members present: Representatives Spanberger, O'Halleran,
Pingree, Axne, Plaskett, Peterson (ex officio), LaMalfa, and
Allen.
Staff present: Prescott Martin III, Felix Muniz, Jr.,
Alison Titus, Josh Maxwell, Ricki Schroeder, Patricia Straughn,
Dana Sandman, and Jennifer Yezak.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. ABIGAIL DAVIS SPANBERGER, A
REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM VIRGINIA
The Chair. This hearing of the Subcommittee on Conservation
and Forestry entitled, Access to Conservation Programs by
Historically Underserved Farmers and Ranchers, will come to
order.
Good morning and thank you very much for being here today
as we review access to conservation programs by historically
underserved farmers and ranchers.
Sustainable agriculture must be a welcoming and rewarding
profession, especially for our historically underserved
producers, which includes our minority, women, beginning, and
veteran farmers and ranchers, as well as those who have limited
financial resources.
Historically underserved farmers face a range of unique
challenges. Some of their families have been farming for
generations, but have faced discrimination and insufficient
access to capital and credit. Others have limited farming
experience or come up against misinformed stereotypes, and they
may find that existing tools do not adequately meet their
needs.
Title II programs seek to protect our soils, water,
wildlife, and other natural resources, while improving
production of food and fiber. Achieving this goal requires that
we support our producers and account for the variety of
challenges that they face.
Congress has enacted a number of policies designed to
address the needs of historically underserved producers,
specifically the 2018 Farm Bill built upon this effort,
establishing additional tools and incentives to overcome
barriers and bolster across the board participation.
Data show us that historically underserved farmers and
ranchers are increasingly accessing conservation programs.
While this trend is encouraging, historically underserved
producers continue to account for a disproportionately small
share of agricultural producers relative to their numbers in
the general population.
We must continue to invest in and shape conservation
programs so that they better account for structural barriers
and recognize the contributions of historically underserved
farmers and ranchers. A continued emphasis on equity and the
delivery of title II programs is needed to ensure broad
participation in conservation programs.
I hope with this hearing we can delve into the substantial
barriers that stand between historically underserved producers
and full utilization of USDA conservation programs, that we can
discuss the implementation of targeted policies included in the
2018 Farm Bill, and build a better pathway towards attracting
more farmers to conservation programs.
In consultation with the Ranking Member, and pursuant to
Rule XI(e), I want to make Members of the Subcommittee aware
that other Members of the full Committee may join us today.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Spanberger follows:]
Prepared Statement of Hon. Abigail Davis Spanberger, a Representative
in Congress from Virginia
Good morning and thank you for being here today as we review access
to conservation programs by historically underserved farmers and
ranchers.
Sustainable agriculture must be a welcoming and rewarding
profession, especially for our historically underserved producers,
which includes our minority, women, beginning, and veteran farmers and
ranchers, as well as those who have limited financial resources.
Historically underserved farmers face a range of unique challenges.
Some of their families have been farming for generations but have faced
discrimination and insufficient access to credit. Others have limited
farming experience or come up against misinformed stereotypes, and they
may find that existing tools do not adequately meet their needs.
Title II programs seek to protect our soils, water, wildlife, and
other natural resources while improving production of food and fiber.
Achieving this goal requires that we support our producers and account
for the variety of challenges they face.
Congress has enacted a number of policies designed to address the
needs of historically underserved producers. Specifically, the 2018
Farm Bill built upon this effort, establishing additional tools and
incentives to overcome barriers and bolster across-the-board
participation.
Data shows us that historically underserved farmers and ranchers
are increasingly accessing conservation programs. While this trend is
encouraging, historically underserved producers continue to account for
a disproportionately small share of agricultural producers relative to
their numbers in the general population. We must continue to invest in
and shape conservation programs so that they better account for
structural barriers and recognize the contributions of historically
underserved farmers and ranchers.
A continued emphasis on equity in the delivery of title II programs
is needed to ensure broad participation in conservation programs. I
hope with this hearing we can delve into the substantial barriers that
stand between historically undeserved producers and fully utilizing
USDA conservation programs, discuss the implementation of targeted
policies included in the 2018 Farm Bill, and build a better pathway
toward attracting more farmers to conservation programs.
The Chair. I now recognize Ranking Member LaMalfa for his
opening statement.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. DOUG LaMALFA, A REPRESENTATIVE IN
CONGRESS FROM CALIFORNIA
Mr. LaMalfa. Good morning and thank you to Chair Spanberger
for calling today's hearing and being such a good working
partner here, so I appreciate it.
Today we are reviewing access to the nation's voluntary
conservation programs. Over the last 20 years, Congress has
made significant investments to these programs by providing our
farmers and ranchers the tools necessary to protect and
conserve not only land but their way of life.
Congress has also made a conscious effort to make certain
underserved producers, including the socially disadvantaged,
limited resource, and beginning farmers and ranchers that are
not overlooked when applying for assistance.
Since 2008, both the EQIP Program, the Environmental
Quality Incentives Program, and the CSP, the Conservation
Stewardship Program, have reserved five percent for new and
beginning farmers to encourage the adoption of conservation
practices by our next generation of producers. Additionally,
another five percent is set aside for socially disadvantaged
farmers and ranchers in both programs to help provide access to
this conservation funding.
It should be noted, over the last decade NRCS has exceeded
these allocations and obligated over 16 percent of CSP funding,
and nearly 33 percent of EQIP funding to beginning farmers and
historically underserved producers.
Since 2014, Congress has also recognized the contributions
of our men and women in uniform, by improving outreach and
assistance to our veterans by authorizing a military veterans
agriculture liaison at USDA, and by creating new programs and
priorities to help in their transitions to careers in
agriculture.
Recently, the 2018 Farm Bill improved upon all these
efforts by encouraging USDA to provide outreach to historically
underserved farmers and ranchers to boost participation in the
Regional Conservation Partnership Program, and to provide
advanced payments in EQIP, just to name a few.
I do want to mention that the deliberation of the last farm
bill brought forward many concerns regarding access to land.
There is a significant reason why the Conservation Reserve
Program was reformed to eliminate government competition with
farmers for productive land by reducing rental rates, as well
as expanding the Transition Incentive Program, known as TIP.
Additionally, NRCS has engaged partnerships through several
cooperative agreements for outreach, and since 2012 they have
worked in a collaborative effort to provide outreach and forest
management technical assistance to the heirs and property
landowners.
Sustainable Forestry and African-American Land Retention
Partnership, which includes the Forest Service and the U.S.
Endowment for Forestry and Communities, was initially a 2 year
project in three states. Since then, the pilot has exceeded
expectations and is in the process of adding new partners and
more than doubling the number of states across the Southeast.
We have a great set of witnesses here today. I look forward
to hearing the continued discussion on what can be done to
improve this access to conservation programs for all producers.
Indeed it is very important in my own neighborhood there with
the rice industry and the great environmental and wildlife
benefits provided there.
I yield back. Thank you, Madam Chair.
The Chair. Thank you, Mr. LaMalfa.
The chair would recognize, or would request that other
Members submit their opening statements for the record so
witnesses may begin their testimony and to ensure that there is
ample time for questions.
I would like to welcome our witnesses here today. Thank you
so much for being with us.
It is my pleasure and privilege to welcome Mr. Irvin
Dulaney White who farms in Louisa, Virginia, back home in the
7th District. Mr. White raises 250 cow-calf pairs, or raises
250 cow-calf pairs on an operation on eight different
properties, totaling more than 2,000 acres. In addition to his
cattle operation, he designs and installs rotational grazing
systems, fencing, working pens, alternative watering systems,
and stream crossings for farmers throughout central Virginia.
Our next witness is Ms. Kimberly LaFleur. Ms. LaFleur owns
and operates a 112 acre cranberry farm and agritourism business
in Plympton, Massachusetts. She is also the State Advisor and
Program Director for the Massachusetts FFA Association, and an
independent consultant to agricultural organizations. Ms.
LaFleur serves as the Chair of the Plymouth County Conservation
District's Board.
Our third witness is Quinton Robinson, Esq. Mr. Robinson is
a native of Gordon, Georgia, where he grew up assisting his
family with the production and marketing of vegetable crops.
Quinton is a practicing attorney and serves as the Policy
Advisor for the Rural Coalition.
Our final witness is LTC Andrew J. Sanchez, a 5th-
generation operator and the majority owner of his family's
cattle ranch in Sierra County, New Mexico. Mr. Sanchez served
more than 8 years of active duty with the U.S. Navy, and
currently serves as a Lieutenant Colonel in the New Mexico Air
National Guard.
We will now proceed to hearing from our witnesses. Each of
you will have 5 minutes to present testimony. When the light in
front of you turns yellow, that indicates there is 1 minute
left to complete your testimony.
Mr. White, would you please begin when you are ready.
STATEMENT OF IRVIN D. WHITE, RANCHER, LOUISA, VA
Mr. White. Yes, ma'am. Thank you, Chair Spanberger, Ranking
Member LaMalfa, and the distinguished Members of the Committee.
The first thing I want to tell you is just it is a real
honor to be here. And as I was trying to get my thoughts
together for this, which is obviously not something I am very
good at, so excuse me for the first minute or so here.
Hopefully I will get it all together. But talking to the
farmers that I work with to try and get my thoughts together
here, I talked to extension agents, I talked to Farm Bureau, I
talked to the waitress at the Mexican restaurant we went to on
Sunday night. And what was amazing is every one of them thought
that this was good, it was positive, and the respect they had
for what you people do was, it was universal through all of
them. I just want to tell you all that the people back home in
my district, and I am sure all the other districts, are looking
to you and are appreciative of what you do every day, and it is
a big deal. Thank you for having me and I am sure the others as
well are glad to be here and have an opportunity to bring
something to hopefully shape things for the future.
My bio you talked through, I am kind of like a graduate of
the Young and Beginning Farmer Program. I started farming in
the late 1990s after I graduated from the University of
Virginia, and I didn't grow up on a farm. I decided this is
what I want to do, and it has been a long road. I had a great
plan at 25 years old of how it was all going to work out, and I
used the programs, I got through it, and I was like definitely
by the time I am 35 I am just going to be farming, it is all
going to be just roses. I am going to have a truck and a
tractor and a few cows and I will just be on this farm. And now
20 years later it hadn't quite worked out but it is all great.
I wouldn't change it for a minute.
But what I have been able to do with working with NRCS and
the Soil and Water Districts and extension, is those people
have helped me work my plan down and figure out a lot of
things, and it is very important to keep this support. I mean,
these programs are very, very good and used by farmers every
day, and you know, getting that extra set of eyes out on the
farm to help people hone in and work through ideas and how
things change it is really making things better on the farm
every day for people. It is--and the Young and Beginning Farmer
Program is what I have come through. It is what I do all day
every day, and getting out there and working with the young
farmers now and helping them out to where things are always
changing, the market conditions they can mess everything up,
but if you are doing things right, if you use the conservation
programs and you are building up your farm, you can weather
these storms and keep moving forward.
I am sorry for flopping here, but I am going to give back
the rest of my time and move on to Ms. LaFleur next to me.
Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Mr. White follows:]
Prepared Statement of Irvin D. White, Rancher, Louisa, VA
1. Brief Overview of Farming Operation
After buying his first herd of cattle in 1998 with a Farm Credit
loan, Irvin now rents over 2,000 acres across three counties where he
raises about 250 cow-calf pairs on eight different properties. He also
manages an additional 100 cow-calf pairs for landowner partners.
Irvin's His forage-based operation
Implements rotational grazing, attempting to minimize additional
feeding. Weather permitting, Irvin feeds hay for approximately sixty
days per year. Currently, Irvin produces about half the hay needed to
support the herd, the remainder is brought in from off-site. Irvin
manages the forage first and foremost making sure his stocking rates
are well below the carrying capacity of the land. His fertilizer regime
is based on soil-testing, maximizing the use of poultry-litter where
appropriate and use commercial fertilizer to bring up nutrient values
where the litter falls short.
Irvin is building his herd to maximize upon the genetics of those
cattle which thrive on the local forage, reducing the need of
supplemental feed, with each generation showing better adaptation to
the local environment. Currently, Irvin markets steer calves in
tractor-trailer lots that have been we[a]ned and backgrounded working
with the Central Virginia Cattleman's Association. The top-end of the
heifers are kept as replacements or are sold as breeding stock to other
local producers. Throughout the years, Irvin has sold beef to friends
and family. Irvin's long term goal for the cattle operation is to
maximize local marketing and consumption of the farm-raised, grass-
finished beef.
2. Personal Involvement in USDA Conservation Programs
As a fencing contractor and farm consultant, Irvin is personally
involved in explaining and promoting USDA conservation programs to a
wide audience, from third generation farmers to investment bankers and
corporate attorneys looking to live out their pastoral dreams in
retirement. On a daily basis, he explains how programs would be
implemented on their farms, the benefits these practices can have on
their operation and management, and he provides a solid picture of the
financial benefits offered by most of the programs.
As a farmer, Irvin has personally participated in EQIP and CSP. As
a tenant farmer, he has assisted with the enrollment of the landowner's
property in EQIP, CREP, and CSP. The various conservation practices
that have been implemented with these programs in addition to stream
and division fencing along with an alternative watering system are as
follows: nutrient management, waste utilization through a poultry
litter transport program (taking poultry litter from adjacent high
phosphorus counties and applying to pasture according to a nutrient
management plan), pasture improvement using pasture conditioning
scores, stockpiling forages, native grasses/legumes, prescribed
grazing, and critical area planting.
3. Challenges and Opportunities for New/Beginning Farmers
Challenges:
Overall, new/beginning farmers face a suite of challenges, even
just one of which might be enough to defer a dream of agriculture. In
general, the biggest issues beginning farmer face are:
Limited capital resources, lack of cash.
Variable input cost and fluctuation in market returns
(Beginning Farmers aren't as resilient to volatility).
Land ownership limitations:
Development pressure and corporate interest ownership
is increasing leading to:
land not being affordable/available.
inability to get long term leases.
less incentive to make improvements in production,
infrastructure and equipment.
Most beginning farmers still rely on off farm employment for
income which can limits the ability to sustain and grow their
farm enterprise.
Opportunities:
New farmers are early adapters, willing to try new, innovative
approaches and serve as examples to help educate others in the
agricultural community. They provide a great opportunity for research
and experimental farming.
4. Farm Bill polices which impact beginning farmers
Challenges:
Time Allowance for New/Beginning Farmers:
The USDA provides the following points of definition for a
Beginning Farmer/Rancher:
Has not operated a farm or ranch, or who has operated a farm
or ranch for not more than 10 consecutive years. This
requirement applies to all members of a legal entity, and who
Will materially and substantially participate in the
operation of the farm or ranch.
In the case of a contract with an individual, individually
or with the immediate family, material and substantial
participation requires that the individual provide substantial
day-to-day labor and management of the farm or ranch,
consistent with the practices in the county or state where the
farm is located.
In the case of a contract made with a legal entity, all
members must materially and substantially participate in the
operation of the farm or ranch. Material and substantial
participation requires that the members provide some amount of
the management, or labor and management necessary for day-to-
day activities, such that if the members did not provide these
inputs, operation of the farm or ranch would be seriously
impaired.
This 10 year window is often not an adequate length of time for a
new farmer to get off the ground. There are various contributing
reasons:
Lack of awareness of government conservation programs in the
beginning farmer community. Farmers are often several years
into their farming operation before they learn of these
conservation opportunities. They can end up ``aging out''
before completing all the work that needs to be done.
Young farmers who were raised and participated in the
agricultural community are best served by this current
structure. They have an established network for support,
and they are able to easily access the assistance needed.
Individuals who are new to farming not only need to
gain technical knowledge, they must find their place and
their connections within this often closed-off community.
Proposed solution:
Don't start the clock when the producer plants his first seed/buys
his first cow. Either push back the start date of the 10 year window to
when the first USDA conservation contract is signed, when the farm is
registered with FSA, or apply a completely different metric like
establishing a threshold for success, such as farm-based income.
Existing Resource Concern-Based Eligibility
Having eligibility based on existing resource concerns can be an
impediment to new farmers who want to wisely manage their natural
resources from the start. Until there is a problem, they are not
eligible for funding. In addition, it is not uncommon for beginning
farmers to install conservation programs on their own before becoming
aware of governmental programs. New farmers coming from a diverse
background often come to farming as a result of research and
observation filled with ideas they wish to try. They come to the field
ready to implement what they have heard about and studied. It would be
beneficial to new farmers to be able to take these improvements into
consideration--either as points on an application or for potential
reimbursement. Finally, new farmers often only have access to small
tracts of land. These smaller areas have fewer resource concerns just
based on size. In addition, scoring projects for EQIP where points are
awarded based on a whole-farm approach can create such large projects
as to be cost-prohibitive to the new farmer.
Government Collaboration/Efficiency of Operations
Once aware there are governmental conservation programs and
resource professionals available to a new farmer, navigating the matrix
of acronyms and agency roles can be a full-time job. With budget cuts
reducing educational staff (through such organizations as the
Cooperative Extension), there is a greater burden and work load placed
on local SWCD and NRCS staff. Encouraging partnership across Federal
and state agencies would reduce the stress and challenge to any farmer.
Accessibility to a local USDA office and staff can be challenging due
to office location, number of available staff and hours of operation.
Co-located offices, a streamlined system for paperwork and enrollment,
and similar program requirements would offer a greater service to the
agricultural community. A centralized clearinghouse to guide a new
farmer through the agencies and where to go for help would be a
tremendous start. Keeping these agricultural experts funded would be
even better.
Ownership of Land Requirements
New farmers more than most struggle with the control of land
requirements within USDA programs. Unless coming from an agricultural
or wealthy background, land ownership is not a reality for most new
farmers. Piecing together rented to land to have a large enough
operation to be profitable is an incredible hurdle. Maintaining Control
of Land for contract terms and especially practice lifespan is
challenging on rented/leased property. In addition, until a farmer is
implementing these conservation practices on their own land, it is a
large financial risk/investment to install infrastructure such as
fencing and water systems on land which they may not farm the following
season.
Lack of Innovation of Programs
New farmers who have chosen the field of agriculture are usually
those who have researched and studied their future profession. These
individuals are ripe with ideas and ready to experiment. Often the
government programs and practices are not quickly responsive to new or
innovative farming practices.
Opportunities:
Agricultural Assistance from Passionate Experts
New/beginning farmers have access to free, local, experienced,
technical assistance through local USDA offices and staff. In addition,
the 2018 Farm Bill created a National Beginning Farmer Coordinator
position at USDA as well as designated coordinators in each state to
assist with outreach.
Connecting New/Beginning Farmers with Land
FSA land contract guarantees are a tool to help retiring farmers
get assurances on the future of their land and financial interests when
selling to a new farmer or rancher--and to help new and beginning
farmers enter into rent-to-own situations. In addition, increases in
funding for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) Transition
Incentives Program from $33 million to $50 million over the next 5
years includes $5 million for dedicated outreach to connect retiring
farmers with beginning farmers, veterans, and farmers of color. The
bill also expands eligibility to all CRP contract holders, not just
retiring farmers.
Flexible Funding Structure/Higher Reimbursement Rates for Beginning
Farmers
Between FSA's willingness to work with those not able to get
traditional funding to higher reimbursement rates and NRCS's
flexibility with reimbursement rates and timing, the farm bill presents
many economic incentives for new farmers. For example, the 2018 Farm
Bill ensures that all beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers
enrolling in the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) have
the option to receive 50 percent of their cost-share payment up front
for material costs, labor, equipment rental, etc. In addition, the same
historically disadvantaged groups may be eligible for increased payment
rate to support implementation of conservation practices and
conservation plans. USDA also offers beginning farmers with limited
capital the flexibility to spread out the implementation of a project/
contract over several years. Also, Beginning Farmers have access to a
special Beginning Farmer Fund Pool (5% of total allocation in each
state). Given that funding is competitive it gives them a little
advantage having access to their own fund pool while getting started to
not have to compete with well-established farmers with previous program
participation history and experience. In short, a minimum of 5% of NRCS
annual funding goes directly to Socially Disadvantaged Farmers
including Beginning Farmers. This means that a higher percentage of
financial assistance is paid to beginning farmers.
Continued Support for Farmers Beyond Basic Infrastructure
From both a financial and a management perspective, the
Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) makes a huge difference in a
farming operation. Once the majority of the infrastructure has been
installed, the CSP payment can carry a farmer through necessary
maintenance and improvements to reach their management goals. Having a
moderate annual payment is a great help to keep a farmer moving toward
full-farm conservation. In addition, the annual review is a great
opportunity for a farmer and NRCS staff to interface and evaluate goals
and management. More annual practices with associated annual payments
would help the practices with longer contracts be better maintained and
better utilized.
The Chair. Thank you very much, Mr. White. I understand
completely. I am sure you noticed I fumbled a couple of the
words in my opening statement as well, but I am so grateful
that you are here.
Mr. White. Yes.
The Chair. We certainly do this more often and we all make
mistakes, but I thought your opening statement was fantastic
and I thank you so much for being here.
Mr. White. The farmers back home said if I could just get
you all to sit in the back of the truck and we go for about a 2
hour ride, I could really explain things a lot better.
The Chair. Well, as a Virginian, be careful what you ask
for, Mr. White. Thank you so much for your comments.
And, Ms. LaFleur, you may begin whenever you are ready.
STATEMENT OF KIMBERLY J. LaFLEUR, OWNER AND OPERATOR, MAYFLOWER
CRANBERRIES, PLYMPTON, MA
Ms. LaFleur. Good morning, Chair Spanberger, Ranking Member
LaMalfa, and Members of the Subcommittee. Thank you for
inviting me this morning to testify on the important topic of
access to conservation programs by the historically underserved
farmers and ranchers.
My name is Kim LaFleur and I, along with my husband, Jeff,
own and operate Mayflower Cranberries, a 112 acre cranberry
operation and agritourism business in Plympton, Massachusetts.
I am the State Advisor and Program Director for the
Massachusetts FFA Association and I am proudly serving as the
Second Vice President for the National Association of
Conservation Districts.
Jeff and I are first-generation farmers who grow for Ocean
Spray, our farmer-owned cooperative, consisting of more than
700 cranberry growers. We are proud that Ocean Spray has
committed to becoming the first fruit cooperative in North
America to verify 100 percent of its crop as sustainably grown.
To meet this goal, Ocean Spray is benchmarking our bogs to the
Farm Sustainability Assessment, a tool developed by the
Sustainable Agriculture Initiative Platform.
Criteria we seek to meet include protecting and improving
the natural environment, protecting and improving the social
and economic conditions of farmers, as well as the efficient
production of safe, high-quality products. The importance of
this commitment belies a 2019 harvest that saw the second-
largest drop in production in over 50 years, largely due to
atypical and unpredictable weather and climate.
As first-generation farmers, Jeff and I have been able to
take advantage of important Federal resources to improve
conservation outcomes. While conservation practices and
technologies are critical to preserving our wetlands and bogs,
they are often expensive investments, especially for first-
generation farmers. This is where access to USDA programs is
imperative.
Our ability to implement conservation practices was as a
result of the relationship we had with our local conservation
district. Outreach activities conducted by the district
resulted in a conservation plan for every cranberry operation
in the region. We received the benefit of highly-specialized
farm plan for our unique crop to protect water quality and
enhance water conservation, and our farm plan provides a road
map on which we use to make management decisions.
At the heart of conservation programs is access. Producers
need access to information, technology, financial and technical
assistance.
Massachusetts is the third most densely populated state in
the nation. Farming here is becoming ever more difficult, as we
compete with an increasing population that is competing for the
same limited land resources for housing and recreation.
Conservation technical assistance is also limited, but when
coupled with underserved producers, it makes the delta to be
able to serve this need even wider.
Through my work with FFA members, I see firsthand a
generation of young women who are wanting to have a career in
production agriculture but lack the financial and technical
resources to do so. In Massachusetts, 65 percent of our members
are female, but yet we don't see that translate into the
agricultural workforce. Direct outreach must occur to help
bridge the gap from interested in agriculture to working in
agriculture if we want to ensure that women play a greater
role, moving forward. USDA can and should do more to reach the
historically underserved populations within and outside the
conservation space.
One of the greatest barriers to access for all producers is
when a producer's local USDA Service Center lacks adequate
capacity to both process program applications and conduct
needed outreach. This barrier is even greater for historically
underserved producers who may not be familiar with the
opportunities provided through USDA to help their operation.
USDA must consider the extra outreach to these producers when
conducting workload analysis to determine needed staffing.
Congress must continue to provide the needed funding and
oversight to NRCS so that NRCS can reach producers where they
are, rather than hope that they enter a USDA Service Center.
One of the answers to improved access to conservation
programs may lie in front of us. With 3,000 conservation
districts nationwide, this locally-led delivery system has been
in place for more than 80 years. Districts have a rich history
of working with NRCS and provide education and leadership
opportunities. They work side by side with NRCS staff at the
local level; however, there is an opportunity to enhance this
relationship to provide increased access to programs to
underserved producers.
In a historically male-dominated industry, there are still
changes that are needed to ensure access is equitable to all.
However, through strong partnerships and outreach with
underserved communities, the path towards a solution becomes
clear. As a female producer, I don't want a seat at a special
table. I want a seat at the same one as everyone else.
Chair Spanberger, Ranking Member LaMalfa, and Members of
the Subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to testify
before you today.
[The prepared statement of Ms. LaFleur follows:]
Prepared Statement of Kimberly J. LaFleur, Owner and Operator,
Mayflower Cranberries, Plympton, MA
Good morning, Chair Spanberger, Ranking Member LaMalfa, and Members
of the Subcommittee. Thank you for inviting me to testify this morning
on the important topic of USDA's conservation programs and the ability
of historically underserved producers to access these programs. My name
is Kim LaFleur, and I--along with my husband, Jeff--own and operate
Mayflower Cranberries, a 112 acre cranberry farm and agritourism
business in Plympton, Massachusetts. Jeff and I are first-generation
farmers, and it is our hope that someday our two sons will decide to
take over the family business that we have created. Although we have
only farmed our bogs since 2009, they have been in production for more
than 100 years and are our most critical asset. Their health and
vitality determine ultimately how sustainable our operation will be.
Both my personal and professional life have deep ties to
agriculture and conservation. I am the State Advisor and Program
Director for the Massachusetts FFA Association. FFA, formerly known as
Future Farmers of America, is a career and leadership development youth
organization for students studying agriculture at the high school
level. I am also proudly serving as the Second Vice President for the
National Association of Conservation Districts. This role has provided
me with the unique opportunity to advocate for locally led conservation
programs across the nation.
Jeff and I are also proud to grow for Ocean Spray, an agricultural
cooperative owned by more than 700 cranberry growers. Ocean Spray is
the leading producer of cranberries in the United States with a wide
variety of cranberry products. The farmer-owned cooperative model Ocean
Spray employs is unique in that we as the growers are also the owners
of the business. Thus, when we are working the land, harvesting
cranberries, and marketing our product, we are doing so as part of a
larger business that employs hundreds of farmers and workers across the
country. As grower-owners, we remain committed to sustainably producing
cranberries in order to protect our bogs and the lands around them.
We are proud that Ocean Spray is committed to becoming the first
fruit cooperative in North America to verify 100 percent of its crop as
sustainably grown. To meet this goal, Ocean Spray is benchmarking our
bogs to the Farm Sustainability Assessment, a tool for sustainable
farming developed by the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative Platform.
Criteria we as growers and as a cooperative seek to meet include
protecting and improving the natural environment, protecting and
improving the social and economic conditions of farmers, as well as the
efficient production of safe, high quality products. The implementation
of conservation programs on the farm is directly tied to our ability to
be certified as sustainable. The sustainability certification will
allow us to better market our product to consumers.
As first-generation farmers, Jeff and I have been able to take
advantage of important Federal resources to help us make our operation
both financially and environmentally sustainable. Cranberry growers--
like many other producers across the country--are good stewards of the
land, and we want to implement farming practices and technologies that
not only save our operation money but also improve conservation
outcomes. It is also important to remember that cranberry farmers grow
the berries in wetlands; thus, we depend on healthy wetlands that could
sustain another hundred years of cranberry production. While
conservation practices and technologies are critical to preserving
wetlands and bogs, they are often expensive investments for farmers,
especially first-generation farmers. Therefore, it is critical for
Congress to continue to fully fund USDA conservation programs, such as
Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and the Conservation
Innovation Grants. Investing in these grant and cost-share programs
will ensure beginning and first-generation farmers will be able to
continue to protect the lands we depend on.
As mentioned, our operation has a total of 112 acres, of which
23\1/2\ acres are cranberry bogs. The remaining acreage consists of
reservoirs, wetlands, and upland buffer areas that all support the bogs
and our production. We believe in protecting the land and use
technology to do so. Through the EQIP program we have implemented
practices to improve irrigation efficiency, water quality and
pollinator habitat. Our farm conservation plan provides a road map on
which we use to make management decisions. We use precision irrigation
technology to report soil moisture data, plant stress levels and
weather information to the Internet in real-time. The monitoring
stations, which run on solar power, send in-field data to the cloud.
From that point, Jeff and I can access the data from our phones or
computers and receive text alerts and notifications when field
conditions dramatically change. This smart, precision agriculture
technology not only saves us time in measuring soil moisture by hand,
but it also allows us to reduce our water usage. Since we started
reducing our water usage, we also noticed that the quality of the
berries has improved. This allows us to grow higher quality fruit while
also reducing our environmental footprint.
Another way we conserve water and reduce input costs is through the
use of automated sprinkler systems. During early spring, and again in
the fall near harvest, we protect our berries from the frost by
applying water through our sprinkler irrigation system. These systems
have sensors in the vines that monitor temperatures, and we can control
the system using the Internet. We are not the only cranberry growers
who have implemented this conservation practice, though. In fact, as
part of a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Conservation Innovation
Grant, the Cape Cod Cranberry Growers Association worked with growers
like Jeff and I to implement irrigation technology. We save money and
use less water by starting our pumps closer to the actual frost
temperature. If not for the Conservation Innovation Grant from the
USDA, we may not have been able to install this type of system.
Therefore, it is important for Congress to continue to fully fund the
grants and monitor their implementation by USDA over the life of the
2018 Farm Bill to ensure these types of technologies can be implemented
by other growers. Also, irrigation automation systems are approved as a
cost-share practice in USDA's EQIP. This means that Massachusetts
cranberry growers can receive EQIP funding to implement these water and
cost-saving systems in their bogs.
Our ability to incorporate these conservation practices was as a
result of the relationship we had with our local conservation district.
Recognizing an unmet need for conservation plans for our unique crop, a
partnership was formed between the cranberry industry and state and
Federal agencies. Growers such as ourselves received the benefit of
highly specialized farm plans developed by conservation district staff
to protect water quality and enhance water conservation. The outreach
activities conducted by the district resulted in a conservation plan
for every cranberry operation in the region.
At the heart of all these conservation practices is access.
Producers need access to information, technology, financial and
technical assistance. Massachusetts is the third most densely populated
state in the nation. Farming here is becoming ever more difficult with
an increasing population that may or may not be connected to
agriculture and are competing for the same land resources for housing
and recreation. Opportunities for new farmers in general, and
especially the historically underserved, are limited. Conservation
technical assistance is limited to begin with, but when coupled with
underserved producers, it makes the delta to be able to serve this need
even wider.
Through my work with FFA members, I see firsthand that there is a
generation of young women who are wanting to have a career in
production agriculture but lack the financial and technical resources
to do so. In Massachusetts 65% of our members are young women, yet we
do not see that translate into the agriculture workforce. Direct
outreach must occur to help them bridge the gap from interested in
agriculture to working in agriculture if we want to ensure that women
play a greater role moving forward. Increasing opportunities for women
in agriculture needs to be more than a few yearly conferences, webinars
and email blasts. USDA can and should do more to reach the historically
underserved populations within and outside the conservation space.
One of the greatest barriers to access for all producers is when a
producer's local USDA service center lacks adequate capacity to both
process program applications and conduct needed outreach. This barrier
is even greater for historically underserved producers who may not be
familiar with the opportunities provided through USDA to help their
operations. USDA must also consider the extra outreach to these
producers when conducting workload analyses to determine needed
staffing and Congress must continue to provide the needed funding and
oversight so NRCS can reach these producers where they are, rather than
hope they enter a U[SD]A Service Center.
One of the answers to increased access to conservation programs
lies in front of us. With 3,000 conservation districts nationwide, this
locally led conservation delivery system has been in place for more
than eighty years. Districts reach urban, rural and suburban
communities. Conservation districts have a rich history of working with
NRCS. They work side by side with NRCS staff at the local level.
However, there is an opportunity to enhance this relationship to
provide increased access to programs to historically underserved
producers.
Conservation districts also provide education and leadership
opportunities for producers. I am the first woman to serve as an
officer of the National Association of Conservation Districts. That is
not a statistic that I typically mention. I want my time in this
leadership role to be based on my merits, not on my gender. However,
the fact that I am a female in a leadership position in a heavily male
dominated industry is not lost on me. I owe it to those who came before
me who did not have this opportunity to ensure our voice is always on
the same playing field. Those who will come after me depend on it.
In a historically male-dominated industry, there are still changes
that are needed to ensure access is equitable to all. However, through
strong partnerships and outreach with underserved communities, the path
towards a solution becomes clear. As a female producer I don't want a
seat at a special table. I want a seat at the same one as everyone
else.
Chair Spanberger, Ranking Member LaMalfa, and Members of the
Subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to testify on this
important issue. I look forward to answering your questions.
The Chair. Thank you very much.
Mr. Robinson, you may begin when you are ready.
STATEMENT OF QUINTON N. ROBINSON, ESQ., POLICY
ADVISOR, RURAL COALITION/COALICION RURAL,
WASHINGTON, D.C.
Mr. Robinson. Good morning, Chair Spanberger, Ranking
Member LaMalfa, and Members of the Subcommittee on Conservation
and Forestry.
I serve as the Agriculture Policy Advisor for the Rural
Coalition. We are a community-based organization and we
advocate on behalf of limited resource and minority farmers and
ranchers across the United States.
Thousands of hardworking farm families share their economic
victories with the Rural Coalition on a daily basis. These
families also express their frustrations caused by programmatic
hurdles that make it impossible to survive in today's
increasing competitive markets and adapting technology on the
farm.
The Rural Coalition operates as a grassroots model and we
listen closely to the farmers that we represent who are by and
large multicultural farm families. And we, over the past 40
years, have made great attempts to inform the Congress about
new legislation and administrative improvements in USDA's
programs that make life on the farm easier for limited resource
producers.
I will just say very clearly that the farmers and ranchers
that we represent are hardworking farm families. They are law-
abiding citizens and we believe that they play a very critical
role in helping our nation maintain and expand its role as the
world's paramount leader in the production and marketing of an
abundant, safe, and affordable supply of food and fiber.
I want to, in my comments, highlight some of the
improvements in the 2018 Farm Bill that I believe will go a
very long way in improving the conservation needs and the
economic and social well-being of the farmers that we
represent.
These improvements in the law make conservation practices
more attainable for small and limited resource farmers and
ranchers, but if the farmers that we represent, whether it is
say a rancher from Oklahoma or a row crop producer from
Arkansas, would really say to you today, ``Thank you for the
opportunity to hear their voices, and once again to thank you
for the efforts that you made in the 2018 Farm Bill to make
conservation programs more attainable to limited resource
farmers and producers.''
Now a bit about the conservation challenges and the set-
aside funding in the farm bill and how that all works. Similar
to all producers, minority farmers and ranchers face
conservation challenges on their farm enterprises, whether it
is cow-calf operation, organic vegetables, and more recently,
industrial hemp. And the farm bill provides for five percent
set aside for overall funding for NRCS, five percent set aside
for new and beginning farmers, and five percent set aside for
socially disadvantaged farmers, and most of the State
Conservationists around the country who use these funds will
tell you that they utilize all of their funds on an annual
basis.
But the farmers have a regulatory right, if it is a new and
beginning farmer, a veteran farmer, or a minority farmer, to up
to a 90 percent cost-share. And within this 90 percent cost-
share, a farmer that we represent, they will get a 50 percent
advance payment up-front, they are responsible for the next 40
percent, and then that 40 percent is reimbursed. And one
recommendation that I would make clear here today is that in
many cases some of the farmers that we represent will have
difficulties coming up with the 40 percent, and one thing that
we are working with NRCS is to, for the State Conservationist
and the Secretary, to use their regulatory flexibility to waive
that 40 percent in the appropriate circumstances so that the
conservation practice is not eliminated because the farmer
can't come up with the cost.
And so with that, I will end my remarks and I look forward
to answering any of the questions that the Committee may have.
Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Robinson follows:]
Prepared Statement of Quinton N. Robinson, Esq., Policy Advisor, Rural
Coalition/Coalicion Rural, Washington, D.C.
Good morning, Chair Spanberger, Ranking Member LaMalfa, and Members
of the House Agriculture Committee, Subcommittee on Conservation and
Forestry.
I am Quinton N. Robinson, Esq. and I serve as the Agriculture
Policy Advisor for the Rural Coalition which is a network of community-
based organizations advocating on behalf of limited resource, and
minority farmers and ranchers across the United States. Thousands of
hard-working farm families share their economic victories with the
Rural Coalition daily. These families also express their frustrations
caused by programmatic hurdles that make it impossible to survive in
today's increasing competitive markets and technology adaptation on the
farm.
The Rural Coalition operates on a grass roots model that listens
closely to the farm program concerns of our multicultural farm families
and make attempts to create new legislation or administrative
improvements at the USDA and other relevant Federal agencies.
For more than 40 years, the Rural Coalition has effectively worked
with the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate on legislative proposals
involving farm credit, civil rights and conservation which is the topic
of today's hearing. The minority farmers and ranchers that we work with
are hard working, law abiding citizens and play a critical role in the
helping our nation maintain and expand its role of as the world's
paramount leader in the production and marketing of an abundant, safe
and affordable supply of food and fiber.
I want to specifically highlight improvements in the 2018 Farm Bill
that will go a long way in improving the economic and social well being
of family farmers. These improvements in the law make conservation
practices more attainable for small and limited resource farmers and
ranchers. I want to thank you for your invitation to the Rural
Coalition to be here today to share our thoughts about access to
conservation programs for minority, limited resource and new and
beginning farmers and ranchers.
Conservation Challenges and [Set-Aside] Funding Allocations
Similar to all producers, minority farmers and ranchers face farm
related conservation challenges in farm enterprises such as cow-calf
operations, organic vegetables, and more recently industrial hemp
production.
The 2008 Farm bill initially addressed some of the funding related
challenges by authorizing NRCS conservation funding [set-asides] for
minority and new and beginning farmers and ranchers. For example, NRCS
ensures that 5 (five) percent of the allocated conservation dollars are
used to assist beginning farmers or ranchers; and 5 (five) percent of
the allocated dollars are used to assist socially disadvantaged farmers
and ranchers. These set a side allocations assist minority farmers and
ranchers with a host of critical conservation practices that protect
the soil, water and air quality. For example, minority and new and
beginning farmers and ranchers utilize the NRCS Environmental Quality
Incentive Program (EQIP) to remove invasive species such as the eastern
red cedar. Hmong poultry producers use EQIP funding to conserve energy
in poultry house operations.
The current NRCS cost-share program for minority, and new and
beginning farmers and ranchers is quite helpful in that the program
allows for 90% cost-share on NRCS acceptable conservation practices.
The program is structured in a manner that provides eligible farmers a
50% up-front payment from NRCS, and a 40% reimbursable payment from
NRCS once the eligible farmer has paid out of pocket 40% percent of the
costs of the approved conservation practice. Although a minority or new
and beginning farmer is responsible for only 10% of the costs of the
conservation practice, the 40% reimbursable costs remains a burden for
some farmers within this category. Our farmers recommend that USDA
waives the 40% reimbursable costs in those circumstances where a farmer
can show hardship.
2018 Farm Bill Improvements
Ensure Fair Access to USDA for Producers Farming on Heirs Property
(FSA, NRCS, NASS)
Sections 12615, 5104 and 12607 of the 2018 Farm Bill Conference
Report are intended to assure USDA affords fair access to its programs
for farmers and ranchers who operate farms on ``heirs property.'' The
final language ensures that more farmers--especially African-American
farmers and farmers of color operating on land with undivided
interests--can finally access critical USDA programs that enable them
to protect the soil and water; and continue to operate viable farms
that feed their communities.
When landowners pass on without leaving a will or a succession plan
to transfer ownership of the land or assigning an executor to divide
the property among all living inheritors, ``Heirs Property'' is
created, which can destroy wealth for the next generation. ``Heirs
property'' then becomes intestate, and the laws of the state control to
whom ownership is passed. Multiple descendants the become tenants in
common, with each having a fraction of the undivided interest in the
land. Land so held lacks a clear title, and therefore cannot be sold
without court action such as a partition sale. Family members who may
wish to still farm the land may be left unable to buy out other heirs.
Currently, producers operating on undivided heirs property are also
unable to produce a valid deed or lease necessary to secure a farm
number with USDA. Without a farm number, these producers are ineligible
for most USDA programs.
The new farm bill language should be implemented promptly in
consultation with the groups most familiar with the issues. It would
expand access to critical Federal farm programs by helping more
families resolve longstanding heirs property issues through a pilot
relending program to clear land titles while protecting the rights of
all heirs. It would also assure that the many farmers--especially
African-American farmers and farmers of color operating on land with
undivided interests--can now secure Farm Numbers and access USDA
programs that enable them to protect the soil and water; continue to
operate viable farms that feed their communities; and pass the farming
vocation and farmland on to future generations.
In order to participate in USDA programs, producers must
demonstrate control of the land to secure a farm number and access to
Federal farm, credit and conservation program benefits. Currently,
producers operating on heirs property are unable to secure a farm
number and therefore access to most USDA program, including commodity
programs, microloans, EQIP, or NAP or other risk management and
disaster programs.
Some producers who utilize Commodity Programs authorized under
title I have been allowed to access these programs using a process of
self-certification of the farmer's authority to farm that land. Our
constituents have informed us, however, that due to encumbrances
related to heirs property, hundreds of producers unable to access the
food and agriculture programs they need to achieve sustainability.
The issue of Heirs Property has generated much attention with
regard to housing and ineligibility for assistance from FEMA and flood
insurance following natural disasters for those residing in homes held
with undivided interests. A Uniform Partition of Heirs Property model
statute was developed and has now been adopted in 12 states,\1\ and is
pending in several more. Similar laws in other states protect the
rights of heirs property interests.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Editor's note: there is no corresponding footnote for the
reference (1) in the statement as submitted by the witness.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rapid implementation of the new legislation is also of critical
importance in areas that have recently experienced natural disasters,
including in the U.S. Virgin Island and Puerto Rico where many
producers lack clear title to their land. The statutory changes require
the USDA Farm Service Agency and Natural Resources and Conservation
Service to recognize these or other instruments to provide for a legal
authority to make decisions on behalf of the interests in the property
(or the heirs), including allowing farmers operating on heirs property
to participate in critical USDA programs and services.
Section 12615 requires the Secretary to accept certain alternate
forms of documentation to enable operators farming on land lacking a
clear legal title due to heirs property issues to receive farm numbers
from USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) and thereby qualify to participate
in USDA farm, credit and conservation programs. The statute requires
that USDA, in states that have in force a Uniform Partition of Heirs
Property Statute, provide a farm number and program eligibility to farm
owners and operators farming on land that has an assigned
administrative authority representing more than 50% of the interests in
the property; and to identify similar alternate forms of documentation
as evidence of control of the land for the purposes of participating in
FSA and NRCS for farmers and ranchers.
Emergency Loans: Modernizations and Enhancements to Farmer Eligibility
The new language will allow emergency loans to farmers even if a
farmer has been previously granted debt write down. Prior to the
passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, a farmer cannot receive a USDA
``Emergency Loan'' if at any time after 1996 the farmer participated in
a USDA Farm Service Agency primary loan servicing agreement that
included debt write down or debt forgiveness.
The frequent implementation of the debt ``write-down'' rule has an
undue negative impact on socially disadvantaged in dire need of
emergency loan. The 2018 natural disasters in North Carolina and
California demanded modernization and enhancements in emergency loan
programs. Indeed, farmers encounter multiple disasters that coincide
with crop losses caused by environmental degradation, or low farm gate
income caused by a global trade disruption.
The Senate amendment amends section 373(b)(2)(B) to exempt write-
downs and restructurings under section 353 from what is considered
``debt forgiveness'' for the purposes of applying the debt forgiveness
loan eligibility limitations. (Section 5306). The House bill contained
no comparable provision. The Conference substitute adopts the Senate
provision. (Section 5307).
We have recommended that the Secretary take a dual approach in
order to speedily implement emergency loan eligibility. First, the
Secretary should immediately issue a proposed rule to amend 7 CFR
764.352(b) which governs emergency loan eligibility requirements.
Secondly, we have recommended that the FSA hand book identified as 3
FLP (Rev. 2) be amended at Page 10.1 to 10.2 to inform field staff and
farmers and ranchers that a previous direct or guarantee loan write
down is no longer a bar that prohibits a future application for an
emergency loan. The Secretary should further make clear that emergency
loan funds can be used to pay off or replace automobiles or higher
interest credit cards that were frequently used prior to the disaster
designation to finance farm operations. So long as otherwise
permissible, the Secretary should further remove prohibitions for
direct emergency loans in scenarios where farm loan borrowers have
graduated from direct farm loan program with a past history of a
guaranteed loan loss claim paid by FSA to a guaranteed lender.
These farm bill improvements are related to effective participation
in NRCS conservation programs and their speedy implementation will make
minority participation in conservation programs much more effective.
Thank you. I look forward to any questions from the Committee.
The Rural Coalition/Coalicion Rural is an alliance of
farmers, farmworkers, indigenous, migrant and working people
from the United States, Mexico, and beyond working together
since 1978 with the shared values of unity, hope, people, and
the land. Rural
Coalition/Coalicion Rural members share the belief that rural
communities everywhere can have a better future and that
community-based organizations who have long served the needs of
rural communities and people have a fundamental role in
building that future. Investments in their work will provide
important returns to our economy, our environment, and our
society.
The Chair. Thank you very much, Mr. Robinson.
Mr. Sanchez, please begin when you are ready.
STATEMENT OF LTC ANDREW J. SANCHEZ, (RET.), USAF; FARMER/
RANCHER, SIERRA COUNTY, NM
Mr. Sanchez. Thank you, Chair Spanberger, Ranking Member
LaMalfa, Members of the Subcommittee on Conservation and
Forestry for this opportunity to testify on opportunities and
benefits available to military veterans in agriculture.
I am the fifth generation to operate my cattle ranch in
Sierra County in rural southern New Mexico, and this land was
originally homesteaded in the territory of New Mexico in the
late 1800s. My family has been running cattle there ever since,
and I am currently in the process of purchasing the land from
my father, Adam Sanchez.
When I was young I wanted a life of adventure and a chance
to fly and saw minimal opportunity in Truth or Consequences or
Alamogordo where I graduated from high school. My parents
recognized they couldn't change my mind, and I joined the Navy
at 17. I served as an active-duty Naval flight officer for 9
years and my service took me around the globe. All this led me
back to the place where I have always considered home, and that
is rural New Mexico.
Now I operate the farm where I was raised and I see the
same desire to escape in my children, and like my parents, I
pray that I can instill just a bit of that calling that will
bring them back to the land where their family legacy thrives.
As a young man my sole ambition was to find a way to leave
the ranch and find success in the larger world. Now I am faced
with the same decisions that my father had to make, which is to
how do I raise my family without losing this legacy.
My grandfather was the last generation to successfully live
on the ranch. My dad had to work close enough to commute to the
ranch on weekends and holidays and I would spend summers living
with my grandparents at the ranch until they passed. I became
the chief operator of my ranch in 2011, and I am the sole
provider for my wife and two children, at that time, and now
three, and the farm income is not enough to support my family.
As is the case with many Americans, I was forced to find off-
the-farm work, and in my case I joined the New Mexico Air
National Guard.
Returning to the farm full time, I faced the same obstacles
that many beginning farmers confront. The ranch was somewhat
neglected and I had to rebuild it. I first applied for EQIP as
a beginning farmer and rancher when I needed a new well which
stopped pumping in the late 1980s. I was awarded this grant,
and upon finishing that project I knew that it wouldn't be
enough to fully revive the ranch. I applied again in 2014 for a
second grant to run additional pipeline and another drinker and
additional storage, which was critically needed to ensure
greater forage coverage and keep the cattle from overgrazing
certain areas.
My application was denied for 2 years due to the amount of
points on the EQIP request. This was despite the USDA NRCS
helping me compile more projects in the proposal and increasing
the point value, and it wasn't until I applied using my veteran
status that I was awarded the grant.
My status as a military veteran afforded me the benefit of
competing with fewer applicants for this EQIP and it also
awarded me the supplementary payout to put in the additional
storage. Most importantly, it allowed me to complete this
additional $38,000 in projects without putting my family's
livelihood at risk.
However, due to the timing restrictions in the definition
under the 2018 Farm Bill, next year I will no longer be
eligible for USDA veteran benefits, as I will have been out of
the Navy for 10 years.
The USDA Veteran Program modified in the 2018 Farm Bill had
a direct positive impact on farmer veterans. I elaborate on
them in my written testimony. However, the change in the
definition, veteran farmer/rancher, prevents a wide swath of
farmer veterans from profiting from these benefits. The new
statute defines a farmer/rancher as one who served in the Armed
Forces, has not operated a farm or ranch, or has operated a
farm or ranch for not more than 10 years, and who first
obtained status as a veteran during the most recent 10 year
period. The data on veteran farmers does not support such a
change, as a large number who enter agriculture more than 10
years after having left the military. Most of them are still
quite young. As a result of this language, a large number of
the targeted audience will not have access to these benefits.
I am a sailor, I am an airman, I am a farmer. I fought for
our nation's freedom and I continue to fight to feed my nation
and preserve the way of life that is slowly dying. The USDA
Veteran Preference Programs are essential in keeping rural
America alive, for our veterans, like me, come from small towns
and return to these small towns after service.
In closing, I would like to recommend the following:
continued support of USDA, VA's, and DOD's effort to educate
and encourage veteran opportunities in agribusiness, continue
to fund USDA programs addressing veterans, especially the
conservation programs, consider modifying the definition of
veteran farmer/rancher to remove: ``who first obtained status
as a veteran during the most recent 10 year'' period.
Thank you.
[The prepared statement of LTC Sanchez follows:]
Prepared Statement of LTC Andrew J. Sanchez, (Ret.), USAF; Farmer/
Rancher, Sierra County, NM
Executive Summary
Personal Information:
Current majority owner and operator of my family's ranch in
Sierra County, New Mexico.
Ranches 2,000 acres of private and BLM land with 60 head of
cattle.
Previously served as active duty officer for 9 years in U.S.
Navy.
Currently serve as the Deputy Group Commander of the 150th
Operations Group.
Utilized EQIP benefits available through USDA, NRCS.
Member, Farmer Veteran Coalition.
Recommendations:
1. Continue to support the USDA's, VA's, and DOD's efforts to
educate and encourage veterans on the opportunities in
Agribusiness.
2. Continue to fund USDA's programs addressing veterans, especially
the conservation programs under title II.
3. Consider modifying the definition of ``veteran farmer or
rancher'' to remove the ``who first obtained status as a
veteran during the most recent 10 year'' period
restriction.
Testimony
Thank you, Members of the Subcommittee on Conservation and Forestry
for the opportunity to testify on the opportunities and benefits
available to military veterans in agriculture.
I am the fifth generation to operate a cattle ranch in Sierra
County in southern rural New Mexico. This land was originally
homesteaded in the territory of New Mexico in the late 1800s. My family
has been running cattle there ever since, and I am currently in the
process of purchasing the land from my father, Adam Sanchez. However,
when I was young and wanted a life of adventure and a chance to fly, I
saw minimal opportunity in Truth or Consequences or Alamogordo, where I
graduated high school. My parents recognized they could not change my
mind and agreed to let me join the U.S. Navy at age 17.
I served as an active duty Naval Flight Officer for 9 years. My
service took me around the globe on multiple deployments, where I was
exposed to many cultures and the diverse cross-section of the world. I
enjoyed fellowship with local community members in huts in Asia Pacific
and with dignitaries at fancy receptions in Poti, Georgia. I became
close with my fellow Americans, whom I only met due to my service. All
this led me back to the place that I've always considered home, rural
New Mexico.
Now that I operate the farm where I was raised, I see the same
desire to escape in my children, and like my parents, I pray that I can
instill just a bit of that calling that will bring them back to the
land where their family legacy thrives. As a young man, my sole
ambition was to find a way to leave the farm and find success in the
larger world. Now I am faced with the same decisions that my father had
to make. How do I raise my family without losing this legacy?
My grandfather was the last generation that successfully made a
living on the ranch. My dad had a 25 year Civil Service career on White
Sands Missile Range and Holloman Air Force Base and worked close enough
to commute to the ranch on weekends and holidays. I would spend summers
living with my grandparents at the ranch until they passed. I then
lived there with my great aunt and worked for what little profit the
cows would bring each year. Sometimes, it was just enough to cover the
bills and taxes. I became the chief operator of the ranch in 2011. I
was the sole provider for my wife and two kids, and the farm income was
not enough to support our family. As is the case with many American
farmers, I was forced to find off-farm income. In my case, I joined the
New Mexico Air National Guard.
When I returned to the farm full-time, I faced the same obstacles
many beginning farmers confront. The ranch had been somewhat neglected,
and I had to rebuild it. It was at this time that I first applied for
the NRCS Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) as a Beginning
Farmer/Rancher. I needed a new well, which had pumped its last ounce of
water when my grandparents ran the ranch in the 1980s. I was awarded
this grant, but upon completion of the project, I realized it fell far
short of what would be required to revive the ranch. In 2014, I applied
for a second grant to run a pipeline; add another drinker and
additional storage that was critically needed to ensure a greater
forage cover; and keep the cattle from overgrazing the areas so close
to the water. My application was denied for 2 years due to the low
amount of points on my request. This was despite my USDA agent helping
me to compile more projects to my proposal, thus increasing my points.
However, in my district, the competition is just too fierce, and not
until I used my Veteran status, was I awarded the grant.
My status as a military veteran has afforded me the benefit of
competing with fewer applicants for the EQIP. It also awarded me a
supplementary payout to put in the additional water storage and
drinker. This project allowed me to retain the 60 head, and I have also
seen an increase in elk, deer, and other native wildlife. Most
importantly, this allowed me to complete the additional $38,000 project
without putting my family's livelihood at risk. However, due to the
timing restrictions on how a veteran farmer or rancher is defined in
the 2018 Farm Bill, next year I will no longer be eligible for USDA
veteran benefits as I will have been out of the Navy for 10 years.
I would be remiss if I did not mention Farmer Veteran Coalition's
role in this process. I attended their annual conference in 2018 and
their founder explained the veteran provision in the 2014 Farm Bill
then directed me to the USDA-NRCS table to learn how to apply. It is
not just veterans like me who do not know of the veteran preference
priorities, but also many USDA employees are not aware of them. In the
2018 Farm Bill, there has been more funding appropriated to outreach
and raising awareness which should increase knowledge of these
programs.
The USDA veterans programs modified in the 2018 Farm Bill have a
direct positive impact on farmer veterans. Veterans are given
preferences under certain programs, including the Environmental Quality
Incentives Program, the Conservation Reserve Program Transition
Incentives Program, and the Regional Conservation Partnership Program.
The 2018 Farm Bill added preference for veterans receiving financial
and technical conservation assistance for pilot programs. Veteran
farmers and ranchers were also included as part of a new definition of
an underserved producer, which allows them additional aid in the
Federal Crop Insurance Program. Finally, it extends benefits to
veterans for down payment loans, reduced interest rates on guaranteed
loans, disaster assistance coverage, and increased educational focus
from the Food Safety Outreach Program and the Federal Crop Insurance
Education Program. The bill expanded advocacy and outreach to veterans
through the Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement and the
Military Veterans Outreach Liaison Office. It further requires
additional data collection and a dedicated USDA website with
information for veterans about USDA programs and support which will
certainly raise awareness of these veteran benefits.
However, as I mentioned above, amending the definition of the term
``veteran farmer or rancher'' prevents a wide swath of farmer veterans
from profiting from these benefits. The statute defines a farmer or
rancher as one who has served in the Armed Forces (U.S. Army, Navy,
Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard, and the reserves) and ``has not
operated a farm or ranch; or . . . has operated a farm or ranch for not
more than 10 years'' or who first obtained status as a veteran ``during
the most recent 10 year period.'' The data on veteran farmers does not
support such a change as large numbers enter the agriculture sector
more than 10 years after they have left the military, most of whom are
still quite young. As a result of this language, a large number of the
targeted audience will not have access to these benefits.
I am now exploring rural business loans through the USDA. Since I
have returned to New Mexico, the National Guard armory in Sierra County
was dismantled because the population is too small to support the
Guard. Several stockyards have closed, and it is more and more
challenging to make a living in my region. I, with the help from my
local New Mexico Veteran Business Outreach Center (VBOC), am trying to
turn my small cow/calf operation into a profitable direct-to-consumer
business, but it is challenging to say the least.
Like the military, neighbors in rural America depend on each other,
and we are in this fight together. This includes: Maj Zamora, a
Maintenance Officer in the National Guard who runs his family hay farm
in Tome; MSgt Justice, with whom I deployed in OEF and runs his family
farm with his father in Los Lunas; and Mike Carr, an Vietnam-era Army
Veteran and fellow Farmer Veteran Coalition member, who works an all-
veteran cooperative farm near Taos. We are all trying to preserve this
Legacy of service, not only on the battlefields, but in our rural
American heartland. I am a Sailor, an Airman, and a Farmer. I fought
for freedom, and I continue to fight for a way of life that is slowly
dying. USDA's Veteran preference programs are essential in keeping
rural America alive as many of our veterans, like me, come from small
towns and return to these towns after their service.
In closing, based on my experience as a farmer veteran, I would
recommend the following for your consideration:
1. Continue to support the USDA's, VA's, and DOD's efforts to
educate and encourage veterans on the opportunities in
Agribusiness.
2. Continue to fund USDA's programs addressing veterans, especially
the conservation programs under Title II.
3. Consider modifying the definition of ``veteran farmer or
rancher'' to remove the ``who first obtained status as a
veteran during the most recent 10 year'' period
restriction.
The Chair. Thank you very much for your testimony.
Members will now be recognized for questioning in order of
seniority for Members who were here at the start of the
hearing, and after that we will recognize Members in order of
their arrival. And I first recognize myself for 5 minutes.
Mr. Sanchez, I have a quick follow-up question for you.
When you were talking about the data regarding veterans who are
not able to access the programs because their veteran status,
that 10 year timeframe, expires. In your experience and from
what you have seen, is that for veteran farmers who come into
generational family farms but may not take over ownership? What
are some of the reasons why that 10 year period, from what you
have seen, will run out?
Mr. Sanchez. Yes, ma'am. From what I have seen during the
TAP (Transition Assistance Program) and the exit out of the
military, there is a big education process on going into
agriculture. A lot of people find it on their own, I guess. For
me it was just what I grew up doing. I didn't really decide I
was going to go back there and it took me--so I got out in 2009
and it took me 2 years to really find my way back to actually
doing it. And so that 10 year gap, there is a lot of different
reasons that they don't return immediately, but falling under
the minority and underserved, I am Hispanic for a lifetime,
African-American for a lifetime, and when I hang up that
uniform I am a veteran for a lifetime. I don't know why we have
a 10 year ending date on that status.
The Chair. And you mentioned that you were initially denied
for 2 years until you realized that there was the veteran
aspect. Was it prior to that you did not realize that that was
an opportunity for you to apply under the veteran program?
Mr. Sanchez. Yes, ma'am. I applied as a beginning farmer
rancher for the first one, but I didn't realize they had
veteran specific set aside until I talked to the Farmer Veteran
Coalition and they educated me by saying, ``Hey, you need to
apply for as a veteran,'' and then that was also one of the
underserved categories that I could apply to separately.
The Chair. Thank you very much. I think that speaks to some
of the points that Ms. LaFleur was making regarding education
about these issues.
My next question is for Mr. White. Thank you very much for
being with us. Some of your operations are based in Louisa
County, within the district I am proud to represent, so I am
particularly appreciative that you are here. Appreciative you
are all here, but it is good to see a fellow Virginian.
Beginning farmers play a key role in agriculture and
conservation, and in Virginia's 7th Congressional District \1/
3\ of our producers are new and beginning farmers. According to
the Census of Agriculture, the number of new and beginning
farmers in the U.S. increased by 82 percent from 2012 to 2017,
and this is an encouraging trend. But the Census also revealed
that the number of farmers who reported operating for a period
of 6 to 10 years declined by roughly seven percent, suggesting
that if entry into agriculture is challenging, actually staying
in agriculture is even more challenging.
Can you speak from your experiences to the role of
conservation programs in helping farms to remain financially
viable as they attempt to thrive? And what else can we be doing
to ensure that these programs are helping farmers stay
profitable and resilient?
Mr. White. Yes, ma'am. The first part of that has a lot to
do with timing of what was happening in the farm economy: 2012,
2013, 2014, as people were getting in, were going into a peak
of commodity prices. Beef cattle prices were going up and then
everything kind of tanked a little bit here, which we are
dealing with the downside now. With cattle and crop and all,
you have to look at the long-term and see these programs. They
are working, they are helping, but there is going to be certain
classes of young farmers that might not succeed because of
outside market forces, and you don't want to write off the
program as not working because this class of young farmers
coming in had a hard time. You know, the outside economy was a
large contributing factor to what got them.
The Chair. Thank you for the context on that. And so,
generally speaking, as you perceive it, the elements of the
conservation programs that you yourself are engaged with in
terms of fencing and helping nearby ranchers in central
Virginia, do you see those as a path for which farmers and
ranchers can pursue to ensure that they are creating greater
sustainability for their farms?
Mr. White. Most definitely. What you do on the farm, the
improvements you make, the conservation for sustainability,
that is all like your savings account on the farm. You build up
your soil, you build up your infrastructure, and when the
market treats you good you are making money and you keep going.
If you are always taking away from the farm, you are depleting
and it doesn't matter whether the market is going up or down,
you are going down. But, the savings you put into the farm, the
infrastructure you build, all that sustainability that you
build up is going to be what helps the farm in the long-term.
Don't let the snapshot take away from the programs in general,
because the programs are good.
The Chair. Thank you very much.
Mr. Chairman, would you like to make a statement? Thank
you.
Thank you very much. I now recognize Ranking Member
LaMalfa, for 5 minutes.
Mr. LaMalfa. Thank you again. I appreciate the panel and,
Irvin, hey, I am just a dirt farmer who has got a tie now, so
don't worry about how this works. Okay? So, just plow through.
I appreciate you all being here.
Ms. LaFleur, first of all, I am fascinated by what you do
way up there in the Northeast. I grow a crop in a flooded field
situation myself, but it is not anything like what you do, rice
versus cranberries. I have a couple questions, but I want to
ask you one more on a production basis. How deep do you keep
those bogs with water, and I am sure it varies as you harvest
and such.
Ms. LaFleur. Well, contrary to popular belief, the
cranberries actually grow dry. They actually don't like to be
too wet, so unless we are actively protecting for frost in
the--or deep freeze in the winter or harvest, the bogs remain
dry.
Mr. LaMalfa. And you keep the vines year after year? It is
not an annual in any way, right?
Ms. LaFleur. Yes, sir. Some of the vines on our property
have been growing since the 1880s.
Mr. LaMalfa. Wow. Amazing. Okay. Well, I guess that would
define the word sustainable at least in one way. That is what I
wanted to ask you about a little bit are the practices that are
required to be certified as sustainable. Is it a mandated
thing? Is it something that the producers and their association
come up with, or is there a certifying entity outside that says
you meet some standard for what sustainability would be? I know
you said 100 percent across the whole industry, which is pretty
remarkable.
Ms. LaFleur. We are using the Farm Sustainability
Assessment Tool, and certified by an outside entity, which is
looking at the conservation practices that growers implement.
Our typical practices involve water quality, water
conservation, and pollinator habitat. And those can be anything
from the construction of tail water recovery areas, bypass
canals, water control structures, sanding practices, et cetera.
The practices for the sustainability certification are
actually up to the individual producer in which ones they
implement. However, their ranking, and this tool uses a gold,
silver, bronze ranking system, how they rank depends on the
number of practices that they implement.
Mr. LaMalfa. What is the value of that score for the
industry or the individual producer as far as marketability or
favor amongst regulators. How do you quantify that?
Ms. LaFleur. Well, it is really two-fold. It is the
environmental aspect of sustainability, doing the right thing
taking care of our water resources. We farm in a wetland. We
use water resources pretty intensively. Making sure that our
water resources and we are using that water smartly is
important.
The economic side of it is just as important as it enhances
our ability to market our crop. The American public is looking
more and more into the business practices of cooperatives like
Ocean Spray, or really any producer, and looking at their
business model and their plans and how their farmers deliver
the product to them. Ultimately, the marketability and how we
are able to brand our products with our ultimate goal of being
100 percent sustainably grown. Again, it is a lofty goal but
one that, we as grower-owners, members of Ocean Spray, have
committed to.
Mr. LaMalfa. Well, talk a little bit about the outreach
aspect. I would like to hear from a couple of you on that if we
have the time.
Are we doing two rounds? Okay. We will have time.
What does the outreach look like? Now, are you talking to
people that are not in farming at all and you want to get them
involved, or is the outreach more about people that are in
agriculture, maybe their family was, and maybe they are not
aware of some of the conservation? What are the different tiers
of outreach in effect? How are you finding people to outreach
to, et cetera?
Ms. LaFleur. Well, for us, at our conservation district
level, our outreach involves both producers and non-producers.
As I mentioned, we live in a pretty densely-populated state. We
farm literally within view of our neighbors. They see and have
an opinion about everything that we do. So, conservation, at
the heart, is about doing the right thing, but at the same time
it is also making sure that that right thing puts us in a
position where we can avoid regulators coming in and telling us
how we must do things, because we have taken those advance
steps to make sure that we are farming in a smart way, again,
using water resources smartly, minimizing inputs again saves
time, saves labor, it all comes down to the bottom line.
Outreach efforts are, we use social media a lot. We do
trade association meetings as another great outreach effort in
order to reach the current producers. But to reach the next
generation, we have a lot of people who are interested in
agriculture, but they are afraid or don't know where to take
that next step, so if we are going to encourage more people to
enter agriculture, however, at whatever scale, we need to reach
them where they are. And for us that is a multi-faceted social
media trade association meetings and direct mailings.
Mr. LaMalfa. Okay. I am over time here, so thank you.
And, Mr. Robinson, I will come to you with that question in
the next round, too. So you can ruminate on that.
Thank you, Madam Chair.
The Chair. Thank you.
I now recognize the gentlewoman from Maine, for 5 minutes.
Ms. Pingree. Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you for
holding this hearing. And to all of you, thanks so much for
your testimony and telling us a little more about some of the
challenges that the farmers you are associated with face.
I want to have a chance in my next question to talk a
little bit about staffing levels in outreach because I think
that is critically important at USDA right now, but since I
know it will come up a lot, I want to also discuss climate
change. And I spent a lot of time working on how farmers can
participate in some of the positive aspects of mitigating
climate change, but also many of the challenges that people are
facing with erratic weather.
I, too, am a small farmer. I am from the State of Maine, so
welcome to our fellow New Englander. And we are challenged in a
variety of ways. Luckily we are a fairly high rainfall state,
but we have been having excess rainfall in the spring and then
droughts in the summer and that presents a challenge,
particularly if the irrigation systems aren't working or we
don't have the capacity to irrigate.
But, I am just interested in hearing from all of you if
there are ways that you know that agriculture has been affected
by weather, other issues around climate change in your area.
And, maybe, Ms. LaFleur, you could start out because you talked
a little bit about the real challenges last year with the yield
in cranberry growing. And I appreciate you are a steadfast
cranberry grower in Massachusetts because we don't want you
guys to have to go away.
Ms. LaFleur. Thank you. The weather and climate change
played a pretty significant impact on the crop of cranberries
nationwide. Of course things are cyclical. Some growers had a
great crop. Other growers had dramatic reductions. We are
seeing, in particular, growing regions had a lot of issues with
winter kill, and for that particular growing region they are
not used to dealing with those extreme temperatures, so their
management practices and how they would typically manage their
bogs in the winter, if they held status quo, well, last winter
was not status quo for them.
Looking at different ways and how we can mitigate those
issues, again, I mentioned before, we use water in times of
drought. We have had years where there is not enough water to
harvest for certain growers. We release our water to growers
downstream from us that depend on our water to harvest their
bogs. And so it is a coordinated effort. But the impacts of
climate change is something that is not lost on producers. How
to mitigate those impacts I suppose is still the big question.
Ms. Pingree. Yes. Anyone else have experiences?
Mr. Sanchez. Yes, ma'am, thank you very much. So, right.
Using that EQIP, the first EQIP that I talked about in 2011 to
re-dig that well. When my grandparents put that well in, they
dug it by hand and used a windmill. It was a seasonal spring
that would run about 3 months out of the year, and they dug it
and it was only about 30 down. When I had to re-dig that well,
I had to take it down to 270 to hit water, so it is a lot
different. I don't know if it is the water usage, especially in
New Mexico where it is a dry climate, that as population grows
we are using more and more water so it is driving it more and
more into the aquifers. But, yes, it is impacting agriculture
big time.
Mr. Robinson. Yes, ma'am. Thank you for your question.
Particularly with blueberries in your state, we have had an
opportunity to speak with some of the growers and they have
informed us that as it warms earlier in the season it brings in
a different type of more vicious pest, and if that particular
grower has an existing conservation plan that already has a
certain number of practices in it or cost to go back to NRCS
and make changes to that plan can sometimes be problematic,
obviously costly. But in this particular farm bill, there is a
specific section in title II which allows or gives the State
Conservationists more flexibility to make changes to existing
plans so that the grower can have some flexibility of adapting
to those climate change scenarios that you mentioned. It is
just a matter of, once again, outreach and making sure that the
farmer knows about the State Conservationist's ability to make
waivers and be flexible with an existing plan.
Ms. Pingree. Yes. Great, thank you.
Mr. White, I will catch you on the next round because I am
out of time. Thank you. If you have thoughts I will be happy to
hear.
Thank you, Madam Chair.
The Chair. Thank you. I now recognize the gentleman from
Georgia, for 5 minutes.
Mr. Allen. Thank you, Madam Chair, and I want to thank the
panel for the week before Christmas, and hopefully we get out
of here this week, but thank you for taking your time to be
here and for what you do for this country.
Particularly, Lieutenant Colonel Sanchez, first I would
like to thank you for your service. I am grateful that after
serving your country abroad and continuing to serve at home,
you are now able to enjoy the very land that you swore to
protect. It is encouraging to see veterans like yourself
farming and ranching, and our military is unparalleled in
developing leaders, and our military leaders are mission-
oriented and capable of running organizations in an efficient
and very thorough manner. Obviously, this is important in our
ag industry. We need a new generation of leaders such as
yourself that will join if we are to remain competitive in the
global market.
The first question is kind of broad, but if you could
identify say four things that are obstacles that prevent most
of our veterans like yourself who are interested in farming
that keep you from going into agriculture after retiring. What
would those four things be?
Mr. Sanchez. Well, thank you. I can think of two that pop
into my head right away. I think the big two is the information
piece. I know, in my case, I grew up on the ranch, but back
then I was a farmhand, that is the way my dad treated me.
Mr. Allen. Yes.
Mr. Sanchez. Taking ownership of the ranch and becoming the
operator and turning that into a business in focus was
something I didn't really know about. I knew how to work cattle
and knew how to brand. I knew how to mend fences. And just
really getting that information to the veterans as they come
out, either in a TAP, in the transition assistance, or any of
that stuff, agriculture isn't a big focus on getting out, even
though we come from rural towns.
In Sierra County where I came from, we had to close the
National Guard Armory in Sierra County because there is just
not enough opportunity, when I moved back, Wal-Mart came in,
and it is not a thing on Wal-Mart, but there was a front page
article that said Wal-Mart couldn't even find enough employees
to open up a Wal-Mart. They had to bring people from outside
the county. People are leaving those small towns, and to get
them back there they are not aware of all the options as far as
the EQIP and the NRCS and stuff.
Mr. Allen. Yes.
Mr. Sanchez. So getting that information is big.
And then the second big one I would say is the availability
and access to land. I am lucky enough that I come from a family
that had that land. It was, like I said, homesteaded, and it
has been passed down. But a lot of these young kids that come
off the farm and stuff like that, when they are going back,
that access to get their own place and build their own farm is
very difficult.
Mr. Allen. Well, I too was a farmhand, and of course my
father was, I don't know, several generations of farmers,
because frankly back before World War II our economy, 98
percent of the workforce was in the agribusiness in some way.
And now it is less than two percent.
One of the things that I might add to this, and I have just
a few seconds, is, obviously there has been a lot of talk about
commodity prices. We had the Secretary of Agriculture here.
When he first was appointed, Secretary Purdue, I asked him
about commodity prices, because obviously farm income which was
stable in 2012 but when I got here in 2014 it had dropped 50
percent, farm income. And so in the next round we will talk
about commodity prices and that fourth item that we didn't get
to in this one.
Thank you. And I yield back.
The Chair. Thank you very much.
I now recognize the gentleman from Arizona, for 5 minutes.
Mr. O'Halleran. Thank you, Madam Chair.
This is an important issue for my constituents, and thank
you for being here today.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's 2017
Census, Arizona's 1st Congressional District is home to nearly
19,000 Native American producers. This is not a surprise given
that the Tribes of Arizona have a rich history in agriculture.
The changes made in the 2018 Farm Bill were in consultation
with Tribes from across the country. They are only a single
step in the right direction. More work needs to be done.
As I learned from my Navajo constituents who live on many
farms, chapter houses, in Arizona, access to the Environmental
Quality Initiatives Program is a significant barrier to use of
USDA conservation dollars for many Tribal producers. In fact,
the government built them a beautiful irrigation system and the
end result was they built it wrong. Eighty percent of the water
still goes downstream instead of into the reservoir that they
built, and we still haven't been able to get that corrected.
And this is tens of millions of dollars that has been wasted. I
ask that we work together as a Committee to revisit the
eligibility requirements of the program.
Additionally, youth are the future of agriculture in our
nation, and their participation in Federal programs is critical
to the future success and accessibility of these programs. In
fact, there is a real crisis in making sure we keep our family
farms. My family lost their farm, my grandfather, in the
depression, and my father had worked the farm, and afterwards
family members during the summer, dairy farmers. I had the
pleasure of leaving urban America and going back to the farm
and helping out while they went on vacation.
Providing more resources to Natural Resources Conservation
Service and other USDA programs to create more internship
opportunities for Native youth with recruitment directly from
Tribal communities will serve this purpose, and for the rest of
our country. Natural Resources Conservation Services advertises
summer intern programs nationally, but few opportunities are
offered in Indian Country. I encourage USDA to consider
creating more opportunities for Native youth in Indian Country.
Further, many producers in my district are veterans.
Arizona is home to more than 600,000 veterans, and we have a
moral obligation to ensure the brave Americans who have fought
and sacrificed for us to receive all the benefits they have
earned.
Lieutenant Colonel Sanchez, thank you for your service to
our country. Your testimony highlights the fact that producers
in the Southwest face unique challenges. This makes the
assistance and resources provided by the USDA more important in
ensuring more veterans can be successful in agriculture
enterprises. My district borders New Mexico. When they finish
their service and they can raise a family doing so.
How do you make it easier on returning service members like
yourself to begin operating an agriculture enterprise? We want
you to succeed. We need for you to succeed. And, in
relationship to the other question that was asked, how do we
get on this early? Because we have you captured for a while
towards the end of your career, and to me we are wasting an
opportunity to get that type of information to you, unless you
are getting it already, to be able to be successful on looking
into a career that you have an interest in and have had in the
past. What is the best way to educate service members in
transitioning out of the service and into the opportunity of
your choice?
Mr. Sanchez. Yes, sir. Well, thank you. The 2018 Farm Bill
that created the veteran liaison is a good step in that
direction, but I know when I went to the Farmer Veteran
Coalition when I was looking for the liaison in the New Mexico
area, they didn't have one at the time. It is getting, filling
those positions and making those liaisons aware of the
programs. And that way they can intersect with the veterans at
the right time, whether it be in the TAP class or getting that
message into the service as far as the Military Benefits Office
so that they know those benefits are available prior to leaving
service. Because, like you said, that is when they are looking
at what their next step out of service is going to be. And that
is when we need to get the information to them.
Mr. O'Halleran. Thank you. And I yield back, Madam Chair.
The Chair. I now recognize the gentlewoman from Virgin
Islands, for 5 minutes.
Ms. Plaskett. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Mr. Sanchez, I want to thank you for your testimony and the
discussion of your family. You were just discussing some
involvement of veterans liaison. Can you share how you would
use that person if they were in fact there in your district and
in other places?
Mr. Sanchez. Yes, ma'am. Thank you.
As far as being a veteran in the service and just coming
from where I come from, I am more, I know myself as more of a
face-to-face type person. You can put information on a website
and I know some are going to gravitate and do website stuff,
but just being who I am, I am face-to-face interaction. So,
just being able to sit down with somebody and ask them the
questions.
Ms. Plaskett. In real time, right?
Mr. Sanchez. In real time.
Ms. Plaskett. Yes.
Mr. Sanchez. To tell them my story and say, ``I grew up on
a farm, I am looking at going back, what is available to help
me.'' And having that liaison be wise in the programs and the
different opportunities.
Ms. Plaskett. Yes.
Mr. Sanchez. That way they can hand that information off
face-to-face would be a great, great asset.
Ms. Plaskett. Thank you for that. I know that in many areas
we often have new farmers. Even our older farmers are unaware
of some of the programs that are available to them. I know in
my district in the Virgin Islands, we have to share someone
with Puerto Rico and oftentimes they don't have the budget to
travel over. We had our only certified organic farmer here in
another hearing who was talking about the cost of having to
bring someone over, and even that cost-share is not enough.
You highlighting how important it is to have someone and be
able to answer the questions, have a relationship with someone
that you believe is there supporting you, as opposed to just a
website to go onto, is really critical.
I am concerned about our veterans. Even telemedicine in so
many instances is just not doing them and you all the service
that you deserve to having people there to walk you through. I
want to thank you for sharing that insight with us.
Mr. Robinson, I wanted to talk with you about, a little bit
about the farm bill heirs program, the heirs property
provisions. We know that we are fortunate to have a network of
about 19 historically black colleges and universities, HBCUs,
which include Alcorn State University which houses USDA's
Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers Policy Research
Center, which seems perfect for the discussion you were talking
about.
How might USDA benefit from their input as well as the
feedback from producers on the ground? And what research gaps
might they be able to address?
Mr. Robinson. Thank you, Congresswoman, for your question.
Alcorn is doing a--at the research, at the Minority Farmer
Research Policy Center, they are doing a great job of getting
into the field and collecting the data on conservation, credit,
and other USDA programs.
USDA is, has been a part, and I believe will continue to be
a part of the data collecting process. And what we do at the
Rural Coalition because we are grassroots is that we make sure
that the Policy Center develops their research questions based
on what is happening on the farm with the particular farm
family. And so it is one thing to build a data set based on
academia, but it is another thing to build a data set based on
what is actually happening on the farm.
And with conservation, one example would be, especially
with heirs property, which became a part of the farm bill, and
we appreciate the Committee's working with us on that, is that
there needs to be more outreach on heirs property and the
method in which a farmer gets the information about how taking
the problem of heirs property and turning it into an economic
benefit, whether it is----
Ms. Plaskett. In talking about that economic benefit, you
said, your testimony said that the heirs property provision is
critically important to areas like Puerto Rico and my district,
the Virgin Islands. Why is that?
Mr. Robinson. Well, because in the Virgin Islands, what we
found during the farm bill debate as we were drafting these
provisions is that it had just gone through a natural disaster
and as you were working with USDA to provide emergency natural
resource programs, it was difficult to do that for many
families simply because there was not a clear title to land.
And so what we have done in this farm bill with this heirs
property language is that we have allowed the USDA to allow the
farmer to use alternative documentation to prove ownership of
the land, whether that is through a lease or whether the farmer
has paid the taxes on the land for a certain period of time.
And we remember very clearly working with your office on making
sure we got the language right, and so we appreciate that.
Ms. Plaskett. Thank you so much for that information and
thank you for your indulgence, Madam Chair.
The Chair. Absolutely. With the first round of questions
completed, and without objection, we will begin a second round
of questions. Members will be recognized for 5 minutes in order
of seniority, and I will first recognize the Ranking Member,
Mr. LaMalfa, from California.
Mr. LaMalfa. Thank you. I am going to defer to Mr. Allen
here since he has an appointment. I will come back later.
Thank you, ma'am.
Mr. Allen. Thank you, Ranking Member.
And to move on from the commodity pricing, and of course we
hope to get to achieve the USMCA trade deal, which I am
assuming in the livestock business that is going to be a plus
for you, and so you might just comment on what you see right
now and what you see in the future. And of course we have trade
issues that we have that are in negotiations we have to
finalize.
Just how important are these trade agreements in increasing
our ability to sell our goods at a fair price, not only here
but around the world?
Yes. Just go ahead, sir. We will just move down the line
real quickly.
Mr. White. Thank you very much. On the local farm level,
trying to understand the national politics is challenging, but
in what I read and what I understand it is supremely important
to get these trade barriers knocked down to where we can get
back into Japan, get into China and deal with our competitors
around the world. I mean, U.S. beef is recognized around the
world as the best there is.
Mr. Allen. Right.
Mr. White. We need to be able to sell it, and that will
trickle back.
Mr. Allen. You need to sell it, but it also matters how
much you sell it for, right?
Mr. White. Correct. And it all comes back to the smaller
farm can benefit, as much or more than anybody from that.
Mr. Allen. Right.
Mr. White. Because, I mean, they are the ones that get hit
the most when the prices drop. The bigger farm, you can
weather, whether it is climate change, it is easier to weather
if you are a bigger farm, or all the bumps are easier to
weather the bigger you are.
Mr. Allen. Yes.
Mr. White. The smaller farms and the beginning farms, they
all get hurt the most by the bumps.
Mr. Allen. Yes.
Mr. White. Whatever they are. The get hurt the most.
Mr. Allen. Any other quick comments?
Mr. Sanchez. Yes, sir. Thank you for the question.
Especially being from New Mexico and so close to Mexico, I have
seen the dropout out there in the beef prices, because there
has been somewhat of a flood of foreign beef coming across just
like a lot of the other agriculture products. Trying to find
that niche market is harder.
Mr. Allen. Right.
Mr. Sanchez. But if we have some fair practices we can
trade and work on the outside.
Mr. Allen. And I wanted to get that fourth part, which is
labor. We have a huge labor shortage which you have mentioned
here in this country right now, and this Congress is doing
nothing about it. I mean zero. And that is sad because we could
grow this economy a lot faster if we could come together in a
bipartisan way and fix this labor issue, and it can be fixed.
Also, and we talk about the climate change issue and I look
at you guys in the livestock business, I guess you know your
cows are a bit of a problem, according to some who have
knowledge about this. But I just got to tell you we are
producing more than we have ever produced in this country by
far, 120, 125 percent. In fact, the whole world is producing
more than--I mean, we could feed the world if we could get rid
of corrupt leadership.
But I do have to tell this story. Somebody asked me when
was the first time I had ever heard of climate change, and I
said, ``Well, it was in Sunday School when I was a young
person.'' I said that flood in Noah's time was a big deal. It
had never rained before. Now, can you imagine that? Can you
imagine? Because God watered the Earth through the dew on the
Earth and then all of a sudden we had a storm and we had rain.
Now, I guess that was the beginning of climate change and then
I guess we got to figure out who is in charge of the weather
and how we can help him figure this thing out. But I thought I
would share that with you.
And I yield back.
The Chair. The chair now recognizes the gentlewoman from
Maine, for 5 minutes.
Ms. Pingree. Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you for
having a chance to ask you all another question. And thank you
again for your indulgence in being here.
Mr. White, I did want to ask you about climate change
impacts on your farm, but I am also interested in the fact that
you are sharing your expertise in rotational grazing to help
other farmers, because that just seems increasingly important
as people understand the value of permanent pasture and raising
cattle on rotational grazing. Thank you for doing that. It
seems like an interesting opportunity and I see also you are
trying to expand your ability to raise grass-fed beef, which
again comes at an increasing price and premium prices. People
are more concerned about how things are raised, as Ms. LaFleur
was talking about. Do you want to talk about either of those
things and how it is going in your area?
Mr. White. Yes, ma'am, thank you. The climate change issue,
understanding that on my scale, it is hard. The biggest deal we
are dealing with is the extremes.
Ms. Pingree. Yes.
Mr. White. The extreme cold, the extreme wet. I mean, I can
say that 2019 was probably the worst year I have had farming.
You build up. You do the savings account like I say. You try
and do things right and you weather the storm, but this has
been our worst year starting last year this time when it
started raining and it wouldn't stop, then it got hot.
Getting the information out as things change and helping
farmers, especially the smaller ones, figure those things out.
That is key, getting the information out. And doing it, as Mr.
Sanchez says, having a person to talk to, and getting
coordination between the different agencies is a big help.
The rotational grazing in the direct marketing side of what
I am doing, it is a real desire of mine to sell my beef to
people I know.
Ms. Pingree. Yes.
Mr. White. We had gotten in with a butcher shop and we were
selling one animal a week. And grass finishing one animal a
week is a pretty big deal where I was selling five a year to
friends of the elementary school crowd where the kids went, and
that was nice, but then when we got to one a week, I mean, that
was a big deal. But then that butcher shop didn't make it, so
now we are starting over. And it is a big investment and it is
something I want to do. The local food movement is big, but I
just don't want to sell local beef. I want to sell good local
beef and do it right, so it is a learning process and there is
not a whole lot of people out there doing it, the rotational
grazing, the management of sustainable farm.
Ms. Pingree. Yes.
Mr. White. All of those key words are--that is what we do
every day.
Ms. Pingree. Right.
Mr. White. And trying to put it all together is the hard
part. It is picking your head up from working hard and stopping
and looking around and trying to figure it out and then go back
to work and then there is a lot to try and figure out.
Ms. Pingree. This wasn't actually on my list of questions,
but since you are talking about it. I am the cosponsor of a
bill called the PRIME Act (Processing Revival and Intrastate
Meat Exemption Act) with Representative Massie, one of my
Republican colleagues from Kentucky, and that is really to
increase the availability of local slaughterhouses, and that
lack of infrastructure seems to be a problem in most places,
and it is not on the list but it is certainly a concern. And is
that something you have had to deal with trying to raise local
products and sell it locally?
Mr. White. Very much so. You know, we have been selling
freezer beef for 15 years.
Ms. Pingree. Yes.
Mr. White. And, it is an hour and a half drive to the
nearest butcher shop. We have a new one that is about an hour
away that is much bigger and holds a lot of promise, but it is
being able to sell the product and it is educating the consumer
about the product, and everybody wants 400 fillets and two
packs of ground beef.
Ms. Pingree. Right.
Mr. White. It is like the cow is not built that way, there
is a lot to work through, but more USDA licensing. Some of the
western counties in Virginia, they have a mobile processing
thing out there.
Ms. Pingree. Yes.
Mr. White. There are several states around the country
where I have seen articles on that, and that is an excellent
idea. And you know, people want to know where their food is
coming from and it is a good thing.
Ms. Pingree. Right. Mr. Sanchez, you were nodding your
head. Have you experienced that, too?
Mr. Sanchez. Yes, ma'am. As you help the beginning farmer,
in the end it helps a lot on this side, but there is a big
bathtub in that processing, in those slaughterhouse and the
facilities to get that local quality product to the table.
There is a big bathtub right there and that is a huge deficit
right now.
Ms. Pingree. Yes, it does seem like with increasing
opportunities, particularly with people's interest in locally
raised and processed animals and vegetables, everything else,
we have lost a lot of our infrastructure that would have been
there in places like Maine and other states. Fifty years ago
this wouldn't have been so complicated, or a hundred years ago.
Interestingly we had a lot more facilities to process food and
process animals, and finding a way to get that infrastructure
back seems critically important.
Thank you. I yield back.
The Chair. The chair now recognizes the Ranking Member, for
5 minutes.
Mr. LaMalfa. Thank you again.
Back to Mr. Robinson here. Again, I wanted to, the subject
being the access to these programs for different types of
farmers and ranchers, I just wanted to let you elaborate a
little bit on what have the gaps been in the outreach? What
does the outreach really look like? Where are you--how do you
find people? How do you connect them towards what they don't
know about or don't seem to know about, or connect them in a
way that maybe eligibility had been an issue and that gap is
bridged? Please speak about that a little bit.
Mr. Robinson. Yes, thank you, sir, for your question. The
five percent set-asides, whether it is a minority producer or
whether it is new and beginning or veteran producer, that does
exist, but that money runs out at some point. But even in the
presence of the five percent set-aside with both categories, a
producer who would be eligible under those categories may not
meet the ranking criteria as you have heard the panel talk
about today. When I mentioned the ranking category, if that
producer's conservation concern, whether it be water or soil,
does not meet the conservation practice that is accepted by the
state or accepted by the local conservation technical
committee, well, then that new and beginning producer or
minority producer may not be able to participate in the program
for, not just eligibility purposes, but for ranking purposes.
And so what we like about the farm bill is that it gives
the State Conservationist quite a bit of flexibility to work
with the ranking criteria in order to reach those producers
that are being missed. And typically our organization will hear
about a producer who has not participated because of ranking
once they have been denied, and so what we do is, through the
land-grant system, whether it is an 1862 or whether it is an
1890 institution, we work to inform the State Technical
Committees to inform the State Conservationist on using their
flexibility to reach down and serve the producer that we are
concerned about.
Mr. LaMalfa. Okay, thank you.
Touch briefly on educational opportunities, meaning just
more directly telling people that don't know about that, and
then I want to come to Mr. Sanchez for my final 1 minute,
please.
Mr. Robinson. There are a number of conferences that take
place around the country annually that we attend, so farmers
have a chance to become educated. Then our field organizations
have specialists in conservation who will go out and meet face
to face with the individual farm family.
Mr. LaMalfa. For those that don't go to conferences, per
se, right?
Mr. Robinson. Yes, sir.
Mr. LaMalfa. Yes. Yes.
Mr. Robinson. Yes, sir. Those opportunities are available,
but the main point that we make here is that if the State
Technical Committee or if the Local Technical Committee does
not understand the natural resource concern of a minority
farmer or a new and beginning farmer, which is different from a
thousand-acre farm, then most likely that policy that is set by
the State Technical Committee will actually miss the need of
the smaller farm.
Mr. LaMalfa. Thank you.
Mr. Sanchez, you kind of perked my ears up on that 10 year
end date. That really kind of struck me, for veterans where
there is not a lot of end date on being a veteran, et cetera.
Speak a little bit about in general, your own experience was
that you applied on a non-veteran status and you were turned
down, but veteran status did put you in play there. So, just
touch a little bit in the remaining time on that and how
important that was and how did you find out about that.
Mr. Sanchez. Yes, sir, thank you.
The initial EQIP that I did apply for was under beginning
farmer and rancher and that was in 2011. In 2014 I wasn't aware
of the veteran, so I applied for a second and I received it
this last year under the veteran status and it was really
through the Farmer Veteran Coalition and talking with them that
I learned that the farm bill had changed from the original time
I applied in 2011 to recognize veterans as an underserved and
minority group.
Mr. LaMalfa. How did you find out about the Farmer Veteran
Coalition?
Mr. Sanchez. I just talked to one of my friends about it
and they pointed me to the website, because as a National
Guardsman----
Mr. LaMalfa. That reminds me of the scene in A Few Good Men
where they are trying to find where in the manual how you find
the Mess Hall.
Mr. Sanchez. Right.
Mr. LaMalfa. That is something else.
Mr. Sanchez. Exactly. Through the National Guard I had a
lot of people out there, farmer, rancher and everything, and
they were like, hey, have you heard about this, and I found it
and I applied for one of the scholarships to go to the
conference and that is how I heard about it was at the
conference in Kansas City.
Mr. LaMalfa. Okay. I know I am a little over time.
All the way down the panel, just a one or two-word answer,
are we doing better, yes or no? Irvin and everybody.
Mr. Robinson. Yes, sir, we are doing better.
Mr. Sanchez. Yes, sir, I would agree. It is getting better.
It is not there yet but it is getting better.
Ms. LaFleur. Yes, sir, getting better but always
opportunity for improvement.
Mr. LaMalfa. Sure. Thank you.
Mr. White. Yes, sir. I think you need more people.
Mr. LaMalfa. Thank you.
Mr. White. To get boots-on-the-ground. Thank you.
Mr. LaMalfa. Thank you. I appreciate that.
The Chair. Before we adjourn I would invite the Ranking
Member to make any closing remarks that he may have.
Mr. LaMalfa. I already used up my extra minutes. Thank you,
Madam Chair.
The Chair. Thank you, Ranking Member.
Well, I want to thank our witnesses today, and I want to
emphasize our commitment to continuing our efforts to ensure
agriculture is a profession that values and enables the
contributions of farmers and ranchers of all backgrounds.
I thank you for the insights that you have brought to this
discussion relating to current efforts under the 2018 Farm
Bill, what is working, what could be better, and thank you for
the frank assessment that we are doing better but we can always
continue to do better.
When we are talking about some of the efforts and the
endeavors that you all are pursuing, it is fantastic to see the
tie that they all bring together in terms of what rotational
grazing is doing, not just for the farmers who are engaging in
it, but for our efforts to address climate change and how
ranchers like yourselves, Mr. White, are able to bring that
knowledge in yearly investments and infrastructure back to
other farmers in the area.
As we have heard today, not only is it important, but it is
required that if we are going to mitigate the effects of
climate change, support the next generation of our producers,
and create economic opportunities across our rural communities,
we need to understand the challenges that we are facing in
rural America. Rural America is facing numerous challenges, but
fortunately we have a diverse and growing number of farmers
that are eager to do the work and we must ensure here in
Congress and across the country that every farmer has the tools
that they need to succeed across the country.
Thank you so much for being with us today. I appreciate
your time, your frank answers.
And under the Rules of the Committee, the record of today's
hearing will remain open for 10 days to receive additional
material and supplementary written responses from the witnesses
to any question posed by a Member.
This hearing of the Subcommittee on Conservation and
Forestry is adjourned.
[Whereupon, at 12:44 p.m., the Subcommittee was adjourned.]
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