The Texas Wheat Producers Association (TWPA) congratulates the House Agriculture Committee on the passage of the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act (FARRM) and encourages the House to devote floor time to the bill.
“FARRM is a strong, bipartisan bill that establishes equitable farm policy, reduces the national debt and provides a fiscally responsible safety net to farmers in Texas,” said Ben Scholz, president of the Texas Wheat Producers Association. “It is imperative that this important legislation be passed through the House to give farmers the certainty required to plan for future crops.”
In Title I of FARRM, producers are offered the choice of a Price Loss Coverage program, which addresses long-term price declines, and a Revenue Loss Coverage program which covers a shallow band of revenue losses. The Direct, Counter-Cyclical, Average Crop Revenue Election and Supplemental Revenue Assistance Payments programs are all eliminated.
Title XI of the bill, which relates to crop insurance, includes a new Supplemental Coverage Option (SCO) which offers additional crop insurance coverage. Other key successes within the title include the separation of permanent enterprise units for irrigated and non-irrigated acres, adjustments to Actual Production History (APH) and improvements to the t-yield plug.
Scholz, a wheat farmer from Wylie, expressed appreciation for the Chairman, Ranking Member and committee’s work in crafting the comprehensive farm policy package.
“We are especially pleased to see the draft pass from committee without any major changes,” said Scholz. “Currently FARRM meets the growing needs of our producers by offering options for risk management, strengthening crop insurance, limiting unnecessary payment limits, maintaining important trade development efforts and streamlining conservation programs.”
Several steps remain before the legislation is passed and available for farmers. The association looks forward to working with the House and Senate to continue the progress made for a fair and equitable farm bill.
“At the end of the day Congress has to provide growers with farm policy that will keep them in business,” said Scholz, “and the passage of FARRM would allow them to do that.”
###
The Texas Wheat Producers Association is a voluntary membership organization of wheat producers in Texas. The association provides growers a concentrated, organized voice in political matters affecting the production and marketing of their crops. For more information, visit http://www.texaswheat.org.
Leave a Reply