Cornyn, Raun meet to discuss latest Farm Bill stage

Contributed Photo Talking Farm Bill Gathered at a recent meeting on the Farm Bill, which is now in the hands of the Senate are, from left, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, Steve Verett, Dee Vaughn, Matt Huie and L.G. Raun of El Campo.

Sen. John Cornyn said this week he is encouraged to see reauthorization of the Farm Bill moving forward and will work to ensure the best bill for Texas.

Cornyn hosted members of the Southwest Council of Agribusiness in his Washington office to discuss the Farm Bill and other issues important to the Texas farm, ranch and agriculture community.

In attendance for the meeting were SWCA board members L.G. Raun of El Campo and Matt Huie of Beeville, former Congressman Larry Combest; Dee Vaughn of Dumas, SWCA vice president; and Steve Verett of Lubbock, SWCA secretary/ treasurer . Also in attendance were

The meeting comes as the Senate Agriculture Committee debates the bill, which is expected to be sent to the full Senate for consideration in the coming days.

"I'm encouraged to see the process to reauthorize the Farm Bill moving forward. This is good news for Texas," Sen. Cornyn said. "Farmers and ranchers in Texas need a clear policy in place to help them make informed decisions about their work in the coming year. In discussions throughout the state, members of the Texas agriculture community tell me they are generally pleased with the current policy, so we should keep as much of it in place as possible."

Bob Stallman, President, American Farm Bureau Federation said "the comprehensive farm legislation that emerged from the Senate Agriculture Committee today is a signifi- cant improvement over the initial legislative package the committee started with earlier this week."

"We will work with key senators to further improve the bill so it provides a reliable safety net for America's farmers and ranchers when weather and market conditions are unfavorable," Stallman said.

"We are pleased the Senate Agriculture Committee completed this important step and urge Senate leaders to commit to scheduling floor time for further consideration of this vital legislation in early November. We remain concerned that when the budget numbers on the final Senate Agriculture Committee bill are finalized, we will find that commodity title funding will have been reduced in order to increase funding for other priorities such as conservation, nutrition and rural development."