This week was National Agriculture Week! On Tuesday, I met with Arkansas Farm Bureau members in Independence County to discuss the recent uptick in Avian Flu cases across the United States. This disease is a potent, lethal threat that can wipe out an entire flock. Arkansas growers have faced this threat before and are taking preventative biosecurity measures to avoid contamination from outside sources. If it hits the state, my colleagues and I are ready to work with the Department of Agriculture to provide relief to the poultry industry. Also on Tuesday, I met with Arkansas Farm Bureau members in Jackson County to discuss rising input costs. The row crop farmers told me input cost increases are already making some parts of their business unsustainable. They also noted that commodity prices are high but input costs — such as fuel, fertilizer, herbicides, and pesticides — have increased far more, leaving them earning less than it costs to produce the crop. My colleagues on the House Agriculture Committee and I are pushing the Biden Administration to provide relief without much success. I will be stepping up the pressure going forward because this cannot continue. The Federal Reserve and the Biden Administration were very slow to take soaring inflation seriously, and ag producers are among those in inflation’s crosshairs. Just this week, the Fed Chairman conceded that they had ‘widely underestimated’ inflation. With Putin’s war on top of that, we must discuss all available solutions to bring down fertilizer prices. We also need to increase U.S. domestic energy production and consider bolstering our input subsidies which would help us mitigate crises like this one in the years ahead.   To wrap up National Agriculture Week, 4-H students from across Arkansas stopped by my D.C. office to visit with my staff. They discussed the projects they’ve been working on back home and asked staff questions about working on Capitol Hill. Students involved in 4-H learn life skills, get involved in their communities, and receive hands-on experience in many areas, including agriculture. As a 4-H alum, I am glad to continue supporting a program that has a positive impact in the lives of our youth.   This week and every week, I am thankful to live in America – home to the safest, most affordable, and most abundant food supply in the world. Producers across America and the First District of Arkansas are the source of the food and fiber that feed the millions of mouths here and around the world. Happy National Agriculture Week to those who play a vital role in feeding the globe!

No votes this week. The House will be in session on Monday, March 28, 2022.

The Batesville Daily Guard Fertilizer, fuel, flock health at top of legislators' concerns “While I strongly believe that this next round of sanctions will continue to hold Russia and Belarus accountable, we also cannot ignore soaring fertilizer costs already propelled by global supply chain issues,” said Rep. Crawford. “Peace must be achieved by all available measures. I will turn my focus now to solutions to drive fertilizer costs back down. From temporarily or completely eliminating barriers for fertilizer trade from other nations, to input subsidies for our producers to offset input costs – we must be willing to put all available solutions on the table. I have always argued that food security is national security, and I will continue to work with my colleagues to alleviate fertilizer costs for our farmers in order to grow food for our shelves.” AgFax Rice Industry Financial Situation Highlighted During House Ag Hearing Reps. Rick Crawford (R-AR) and Julia Letlow (R-LA) homed in on the unique situation impacting the rice industry – a combination of both skyrocketing input costs and stagnant rice prices. Rice has not seen the rebound in prices other commodities have over the past two years.

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