The Moore You Know May 23 - May 31, 2024

All of us have seen the negative effects of Biden’s inflation at the gas station, the grocery store, and our local restaurants, but few have been more challenged than our agriculture producers. Consumer prices are up 19.4% since Biden took office, and inflation is up 3.5% in the last year. Current reference prices, which are the set prices that purchasers are willing to pay for goods and services, are not sufficient to help producers manage risk against the razor thin margins caused by Bidenomics.  

I heard these concerns repeatedly at my Farm Bill listening sessions across the district last year. Producers simply can’t afford this administration’s bad policies.  

As a member of the House Agriculture Committee, my top priority this farm bill cycle has been addressing reference prices. I am proud to announce committee passage of the Farm Bill that includes a 10-20% increase on all reference prices to help our producers stay afloat, and I hope to see bipartisan support from my colleagues when the Farm Bill reaches the House floor.  

My legislation to extend the Feral Swine Eradication and Control Pilot Program was also included in this year’s Farm Bill. Feral swine are consistently detrimental to farmers’, ranchers’, and foresters’ operations, causing ore than $1.5 billion in damages every year. The FSCP has seen a great deal of success in reducing these damages through trapping, removing, and monitoring and assessing the lands on which feral swine frequently reside.  

Another one of my Farm Bill priorities was modernizing and standardizing data for our Alabama foresters so they have all the tools they need to thrive. My legislation, the Forest Data Modernization Act, was also included in the bill. This bill modernizes the technologies and data collection methods used by the Forest Inventory and Analysis Program to meet growing market demand and support sustainable forest management decisions. 

The Farm Bill also includes my legislation to establish a commission to improve the efficiency of National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) data. NASS provides vital statistics to producers and the government, and this commission would report to us on how the collection process can be streamlined.  

I also introduced a successful amendment to the Farm Bill to add tree nuts, including shelled tree nuts, to the USDA Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program. Adding tree nuts to this program benefits Alabama producers by creating a competitive market while offering our seniors another nutritious snack option.  

It is an honor to serve our producers on the House Agriculture Committee and be a part of crafting a farm bill that is focused on helping them thrive.  

If you need help from my office with the VA, IRS, or another federal agency, or if we can help you with a government service like processing a passport request, I hope you will reach out to us. We’ve resolved over 4,800 cases since I took office in 2021. Visit one of my offices in Wetumpka, Dothan, Andalusia, Troy, or Washington, call us at 334-478- 6330, or visit barrymoore.house.gov to learn how we can help.