Keeping The Promise Of...
Supporting Hoosier Farmers

As the only Republican Member of the House Agriculture Committee from Indiana, I have a unique opportunity to influence America's agriculture policy while looking out for the needs of Hoosier farmers. I held a series of town hall meetings to hear from farmers in Eastern Indiana about their needs. The Farm Security Act (H.R. 2646) is a product of these meetings and provides a flexible, balanced approach to farm policy.

The Farm Security Act is the product of over two years of work by the House Agriculture Committee, which heard testimony from 368 farmers from across America.

Critical farm program needs are balanced with significant investments and improvements in conservation, rural development, export promotion, research, nutrition, etc.

Planting flexibility provisions from the current farm bill are retained, while target-price based counter-cyclical program is added to help farmers in poor market conditions.

The bill provides a three-piece safety net, retaining decoupled payments and the marketing loan program, while adding counter-cyclical payments to provide consistent and reliable support for farmers and lenders planning for the future.

I continue to work on the Agriculture Committee to move America toward a more market-based approach to agriculture spending. But as long government subsidies are the norm in the world agricultural economy, we must support our farmers to help them remain competitive. The House farm bill stays within our budget, prepares us for future needs, and allows Hoosier farmers to compete and succeed in the global economy.