Boozman Bulletin

Arkansas farmers and ranchers face declining farm incomes and steeply higher input costs with record high diesel and gas prices, sky-high fertilizer expenses and supply chain disruptions. 

The numbers since January 2021 tell the story:

  • Farm machinery cost is up 24%
  • Grain for animal feed is up as much as 30%
  • Farm diesel fuel is up 122%
  • Natural gas is up more than 230%
  • Anhydrous ammonia fertilizer is up more than 220%
My colleagues on the Senate Agriculture Committee and I welcomed Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, for the first time since his confirmation hearing early last year, to talk about the issues facing agricultural producers and rural communities.

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                    Click here to watch video of my opening statement. 

Empowering American Producers to Address Global Food Crisis

After repeatedly calling on USDA to devise a plan empowering American agricultural producers to help address the global food crisis, the agency announced just days ago expanded flexibilities within the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) for participants with expiring contracts.

Why it matters: The unprecedented disruption in global crop markets brought on by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has choked off a sizable portion of the world’s grain and oilseed production.

What’s next: With this announcement, millions of acres of agricultural land will become available sooner to America’s farmers and ranchers.

  • Allowing domestic producers to scale-up capacity to aid those desperately in need globally is a common sense policy to help address the food crisis and bring down prices here at home.

  • Flexibilities have been provided in the past with success. At a time like this, when we’re facing food security challenges, it’s critical to use every tool in the toolbox to allow more acres of land to return to food production.

Arkansas Field Hearing

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As we begin crafting the next Farm Bill, the Senate Agriculture Committee is going on the road to get input from agricultural producers about policies impacting their operations. 

  • As the top Republican on the committee, I'm thrilled to be hosting a field hearing at Arkansas State University in June as we continue working to provide certainty and predictability to farmers and ranchers and the entire agriculture community in the 2023 Farm Bill.

Get Connected

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