MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (WBOY) — Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) held a farm bill roundtable at WVU’s Erickson Alumni Center on Monday alongside Senator John Boozman (R-AR) who serves as the ranking member of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry committee.
The $1.5 trillion farm bill is a five-year contract with farmers and aims to make it easier to offer operating and farm ownership loans to them. These loans can help pay for closing costs, construction on the farm or help to conserve soil and water resources.
Senator Boozman has visited more than 20 states so far to hear farmers’ concerns.
“Arkansas and West Virginia are very very similar, we’re small states, everybody knows everyone. Lots of forestry here, lots of poultry here, so we have a lot in common. And the farm bill is such that we don’t want a one-size-fits-all because our states are very very different throughout the country, and as a result we need to make sure that we’ve taken care of everybody so, again, trade is so important, research is so important, and nutrition is important, conservation is important,” Boozman said.
The bill stalled in 2023, but Boozman has hopes that it will pass by the end of 2024.
“I think we saw some recurring themes today, protection of the small farmer, don’t take food supply for granted, what does food supply mean to nutrition and health, and then the importance of research,” Sen. Capito said.
Currently, the estimated breakdown of the farm bill spending has SNAP benefits at 85%, the largest category of spending. Crop insurance follows it at 7%. More than 20 people representing those such as farmers and those who work in agriculture were present at the roundtable.