WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), Alabama’s voice on the U.S. Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry (AG) Committee, praised the Senate Republican-drafted Farm Bill framework that was released yesterday by Ranking Member Boozman (R-AR). The Senate Republican framework supports farmers and producers in Alabama and across the nation by truly putting more farm in the Farm Bill. This strong framework builds upon the efforts of the House Agriculture Committee, which recently passed its bipartisan Farm Bill with a 33-21 vote, and has a starkly different approach to actually help producers versus Senate Democrats’ framework, which is a liberal wish list.
“Every time I visit Alabama, I hear from farmers who are struggling to stay afloat in Joe Biden’s economy,” said Senator Tuberville. “They need a Farm Bill that will help them shoulder the immense burden of feeding, fueling, and clothing our country—not a woke laundry list of burdensome climate regulations. Unlike the $1.5-trillion-dollar-giveaway from Senate Democrats, the Republican Farm Bill framework actually puts farmers first. Our framework would increase reference prices, expand access to capital, and boost market opportunities. I’m glad to see that the Farm Bill passed out of the House AG Committee with bipartisan support, and hope this will spark the Senate AG Committee to take action.”
The Senate Republican framework includes several of Senator Tuberville’s agriculture priorities for Alabama’s foresters, farmers, and producers. Many of these priorities were also included in the House Agriculture Committee’s Farm Bill. Senator Tuberville gathered input for his priorities during listening sessions with members of Alabama’s agriculture community.
A complete list of Senator Tuberville’s legislative wins can be found below.
IMPROVING ACCESS TO CLEAN WATER IN RURAL COMMUNITIES
The Senate AG Subcommittee on Rural Development and Energy oversees the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Rural Utilities Service (RUS) Water and Environmental Programs. As the Ranking Member of this subcommittee, Senator Tuberville led a hearing on the importance of modernizing our community water systems. Now, he is taking action to increase funding for clean water and sewage systems. In October 2023, he introduced a bipartisan amendment to enable more low-income Americans in rural communities to access grants and loans to install or repair household sewage systems through USDA’s Rural Decentralized Water System program.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, approximately 21.7 million households use a septic tank or a decentralized system to remove their sewage where a public sewer system is unavailable. Additionally, over one million homes in the United States lack adequate plumbing, with nearly 200,000 having no sewage system at all. Often this leads to the piping of raw sewage from homes directly into their back yards, with substantial negative impacts on public health and the environment. In Alabama, the rural Black Belt region suffers from difficulties in implementing central sewer lines or even septic systems in part because of the geology of the area—which consists of dense red clay—and lack of funding.
The House Farm Bill and Senate Republican framework both include language to reauthorize USDA’s Rural Decentralized Water System program. This included language similar to Senator Tuberville’s amendment, which is a huge win for rural Alabamians.
COMBATTING FOREIGN INFLUENCE IN AMERICAN AGRICULTURE
Senator Tuberville has been a leader in fighting against foreign influence in agriculture supply chains. He has introduced several pieces of legislation to put greater protections in place, including the Foreign Adversary Risk Management Act, Protecting America’s Agricultural Land from Foreign Harm Act, and Securing America’s Land from Foreign Interference Act.
Not only have foreign purchases of American farmland surged over the last decade, but a recent report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) revealed that USDA is ill-equipped to fully combat nefarious foreign ownership of American agricultural land by foreign adversaries.
The House Farm Bill and Senate Republican framework both include language similar to Senator Tuberville’s AFIDA Improvements Act of 2024, which would update the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act (AFIDA) of 1987 to update the AFIDA handbook, and establish a memorandum between the Secretary of Agriculture and the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) to provide important updates about foreign ownership of American farmland.
Additionally, the Senate Republican framework includes language similar to Senator Tuberville’sProtecting America’s Agricultural Land from Foreign Harm Act, which would require annual reports to Congress on AFIDA data and foreign influence in agriculture.
BOOSTING ALABAMA’S PECAN AND TREE NUT FARMERS
The USDA’s Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP) provides fresh, nutritious, locally-grown fruits, vegetables, herbs, and honey to eligible low-income seniors. These seniors must be 60 years of age or older and have a household income of no more than 185% of the federal poverty level. Eligible seniors can exchange coupons for program products at farmers’ markets, roadside stands, and community-supported agriculture (CSA) programs. According to the USDA, in fiscal year 2022, the SFMNP had 757,751 seniors participate and 15,089 farmers sold products through the program across the country. Annual program benefits vary per state between $20–$50 per year, with over 54,000 eligible seniors in Alabama.
According to the USDA Economic Research Service (ERS), common tree nuts include almonds, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, pecans, pistachios, and walnuts. With this legislation, these tree nuts would be eligible for the SFMNP.
Alabama is one of the country’s top pecan producers, with growers across the state harvesting approximately 3 million pounds across 9,000 pecan-bearing acres in 2022. According to the 2017 Census of Agriculture, Alabama had over 837 producers who harvested 8,840 pecan-bearing acres.
The House Farm Bill and Senate Republican framework both include Senator Tuberville’s Farmers’ Market Expansion Act to make pecans and other tree nuts eligible for the SFMNP. The move would expand healthy food options for low-income seniors, and also increase market opportunities for pecan and tree nut farmers.
PROTECTING FARMERS FROM FERAL SWINE
Senator Tuberville introduced the Feral Swine Eradication Act to extend and make permanent a pilot program to safeguard public health, agriculture, and local ecosystems against the threat of feral swine.
There are approximately six million feral hogs across the United States, which cause more than $1.5 billion in damages each year. The Feral Swine Eradication and Control Pilot Program (FSCP) was established in the 2018 Farm Bill to respond to rampant feral swine outbreaks and was implemented by the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the Animal and Plant Health and Inspection Service (APHIS).
This program included feral swine removal by APHIS, restoration efforts supported by NRCS, and assistance to producers for feral swine control through grants with non-federal partners. NRCS and APHIS successfully carried out these pilot projects in ten states.
The House Farm Bill and Senate Republican framework both include language to direct $150 million of mandatory funding for 2025-2029.
EXPANDING CROP PROTECTIONS
The House Farm Bill and Senate Republican framework both include language similar to Senator Tuberville’s Mid-South Oilseed Double Cropping Study Act of 2023 to request a study from the USDA on the gap in crop insurance coverage for certain winter oilseed crops, specifically canola and rapeseed and double cropping policies.
The House Farm Bill and Senate Republican framework both include language to increase reference prices by 10-20 percent for the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs. This would give increased protections to row croppers, like cotton, peanut, corn, and soybean producers who are battling rising inflation and skyrocketing input costs.
INCREASING ACCESS TO CAPITAL
Senator Tuberville has advocated for increasing guaranteed loan caps for farm loans to make it easier for farmers to access capital. Many farmers in Alabama and across the country lack sufficient access to financing. To build a 4-house poultry farm in Alabama today, the cost would exceed $2.5 million. However, the FSA guarantee loan limit is capped at $1.75 million, indexed for inflation. This presents a significant problem for our young farmers and people that want to get into the poultry industry.
The House Farm Bill and Senate Republican framework both include language to increase guaranteed loan limits for farm operating and ownership loans. Current law states that USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) can guarantee loans up to $1,750,000, indexed for inflation, which amounts to approximately $2,236,000. The language included in the House passed bill increases the limits for guaranteed operating loans to $3 million and guaranteed ownership loans to $3.5 million. These efforts would ease the burden for producers as they seek to expand and maintain their operations.
EXPANDING BROADBAND ACCESS FOR RURAL COMMUNITIES
As the Ranking Member of the AG Subcommittee on Rural Development and Energy, Senator Tuberville is prioritizing expanding broadband access for our rural communities and unserved populations. This was reflected in his first subcommittee hearing, titled “Rural Broadband: Connecting our Communities to the Digital Economy.”
Senator Tuberville has also pushed leaders about their efforts to improve opportunities for rural communities during Senate AG Committee hearings and joined legislation to prevent the taxation of broadband grants.
The House Farm Bill and Senate Republican framework both include language to make USDA’s ReConnect program permanent and target funding to communities most in need without 25/3 Mbps connectivity. Senator Tuberville has advocated for a tech-neutral approach to broadband with funding prioritized to areas who need it most. These efforts will ensure rural areas in Alabama and the rest of the country receive broadband access and are not left behind.
Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, and HELP Committees.
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