Representative Austin Scott: I’m Worried About the Farm Bill
By Clint Thompson
Georgia Representative Austin Scott understands the political ramifications if a farm bill is not in place sooner rather than later. It would be in danger of not getting passed this year.
“I’m worried about it. Obviously, we’ve got a March deadline on some of the funding aspects on all the government. That will take precedent over the farm bill. The extension was a one-year extension which runs through Sept. 30. It’s effectively through the end of the year with the way things work, but once we get through primaries and other things, it becomes increasingly difficult to pass legislation as we get further into an election year,” said Scott, who participated in last Friday’s University of Georgia Ag Forecast meeting in Tifton, Georgia.
“I’m concerned about. I know GT (Thompson) our chairman is working hard. Those of us on the committee and our staff want to get this done for the American farmer so they can have some certainty going into the next few years. But one of the things that’s got to happen is, we’ve got to make reference prices reflect the increased costs of inputs. I’m a republican, and we have a group in the republican party that is objecting to that, and we’re just going to have to overcome them.”
Specialty Crop Concerns
The main concerns with specialty crop production pertain to labor and trade. Adverse Effect Wage Rates continue to spike amid legislative calls for transparency and a wage freeze. Unfair trade practices with Mexico continue to strain farming operations in the Southeast.
“Wage rates and how fast the wage rates have increased by this administration is creating a tremendous turmoil in that aspect of farming. Keeping up with the increased costs of expenses has become very difficult for our vegetable farmers,” Scott said. “Then you’ve got the dumping that occurs from Mexico. As your cost of production goes up in America, the dumping becomes more of a problem than it was even in the prior years. It is with regard to the farm bill a question of whether or not we can get additional funds into the crop insurance side of things and maybe come up with crop insurance products that help with risk mitigation.
“An insurance product is not going to guarantee anybody a profit. Our goal is to give people tools to limit their downside risk in adverse markets.”