Sheep Industry News July 2024

Farm Bill Inches Forward

T he proposed Farm Bill text – which passed the House Agriculture Committee in May – addresses many critical needs for the American sheep industry. “This text from the House Ag chair provides real support to our sheep producers,” said ASI President Brad Boner of Wyoming. “The text is favorable toward the sheep industry in areas such as foreign animal disease management, drought and feed losses, foreign market development programs – which we are heavily reliant on for marketing American wool – as well as the wool marketing loan. The wool marketing loan is the only sheep-specific risk management tool that is available to American wool growers, so it’s important that the program can respond to the current wool market.” The Farm, Food and National Security Act of 2024 pro poses to: • Substantially increase the existing marketing loan rate for American wool, which has not been adjusted since 2002. • Increase funding for the Sheep Production and Market ing Grant Program, which is connected to funding for the National Sheep Industry Improvement Center and its grant programs. • Double funding for foreign market programs adminis tered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agri cultural Service. These programs include the Market Access Program and Foreign Market Development Program, both of which provide support for marketing American wool to manufacturers overseas. • Direct additional resources toward bolstering the three legged stool to protect American livestock against foreign animal diseases. • Establish permanent baseline for a new Agricultural Fiber Products Trust Fund, which includes additional fund ing for wool apparel manufacturers and wool research and promotion. The wool industry got a special call out during Rep. John Rose’s (Tenn.) opening remarks, where he applauded the inclusion of baseline and increased funding for a new Agri

cultural Fiber Products Trust Fund, which greatly benefits wool apparel manufacturers and general wool promotion and research. ASI joined a coalition of agricultural associations in praising the inclusion of Section 12007 in the text, which would negate the affects of California’s Proposition 12. The California initiative prohibits the sale of pork, veal and eggs produced from animals not housed according to the state’s arbitrary requirements. In May 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that only Congress has the authority to step in and protect American agriculture from the regulatory chaos pro posed by laws such as Proposition 12. “We strongly urge Congress to include this critical provi sion in any Farm Bill reauthorization to prevent an unwork able patchwork of 50 conflicting state laws throughout the country that snarl interstate commerce,” read a letter from the coalition to Congressional leaders. The text from Chairman Thompson was marked up and passed the House Agriculture Committee in late May by a vote of 33-21. Visit Agriculture.House.gov/uploadedfiles/ discussion_draft_ffns.pdf to read the full text of the proposal. SENATE TAKES STEP FORWARD In mid-June, the Senate Committee on Agriculture, For estry and Nutrition Ranking Member John Boozman (Ark.) released a high-level Farm Bill framework outlining the Senate Agriculture Republican’s key priorities across all 12 titles of the Farm Bill. In a press release, Boozman touted the framework as putting, “more farm in the farm bill.” Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (Mich.) rolled out the Senate Democrats Farm Bill framework in May. At this point in time, neither party in the Senate has released bill text nor announced when a potential markup can be expected. Visit Agriculture.Senate.gov/newsroom to learn more about each of the Senate’s proposed frameworks. ASI welcomes forward progress in the process of getting a Farm Bill passed and signed into law.

Glenn "GT" Thompson (Penn.)

John Boozman (Ark.)

20 • Sheep Industry News • sheepusa.org