Congressman Jim Baird on the Push to Introduce a New Farm Bill

While it’s been more than four months since Congress voted to extend the previous Farm Bill by one year, many are pushing your lawmakers in Washington to introduce a new Farm Bill.

During the Purdue Ag Alumni Fish Fry last Saturday in Lafayette, Hoosier Ag Today’s C.J. Miller spoke with Congressman Jim Baird (R-IN-4th District), who also serves on the House Ag Committee.

Baird says that he and other lawmakers on the committee are pushing to introduce a new Farm Bill over the next few months.

“We have assurances from our Speaker Mike Johnson and the Chairman of the Ag Committee G.T. Thompson that we’re really shoving for that March date,” says Baird. “We recognize how important it is, particularly the crop insurance and conservation practices. There are several of us on the committee that understand [the importance], so we’re going to work toward that.”

Baird added that he is also seeking to include additional funding for ag research for land-grant universities, such as Purdue, in the next Farm Bill.

“Yes, and you know, I’m Chairman of the Subcommittee on Conservation, Research and Technology, and so I’m going to be definitely pushing for more research dollars,” he says. “The other thing is that for us to stay competitive around the world and against some of our adversaries like the Chinese Communist party, we need that research to lead the way, so research is definitely an important part.”

A few weeks ago, six House Republicans—including Rep. Alex Mooney (R-WV-02) and Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC-01)—wrote a letter to the House Ag Chairman and the House Ag Ranking Member saying they’re “strongly opposed” to raising reference prices in the next Farm Bill.

“You know, all of those people are my colleagues and I know them [including] Carol Miller from West Virginia and Alex Mooney from West Virginia, and so we just need to talk about it—and I can talk to every one of them,” says Baird. “I think they need assurances that we’re not adding to the overall cost of government. That’s a concern for all of us, including me. I think they’re just expressing that. My point on that issue is there are a lot of other things, like Green New Deal and so on, where we can go find dollars to make sure we support the farmers and ranchers with the programs that come out of the Farm Bill.”

Click below to hear C.J. Miller’s full conversation with Congressman Jim Baird during the Purdue Ag Alumni Fish Fry, as they both discuss a new Farm Bill, as well as the Tax Relief Bill that recently passed the U.S. House.