RMFU Hosts Spring Fly-In

RMFU Hosts Spring Legislative Fly-In

There is finally some action happening in Congress regarding the Farm Bill. Both the Senate and House Agricultural Committees released basic frameworks for the massive bill last week. This is an opportune time for us to engage and influence the outcome of policy that affects everyone who eats, especially those who produce our food.

RMFU led a delegation of members to Washington D.C. in April to meet with legislators on key issues from our policy. In addition to issues within the Farm Bill, we also discussed agricultural labor and public land management (see our priorities below). We are grateful to members David Harold, Gwen Cameron, Sarah Cole-Lewis, Yolanda Benally, Cahill Sphall, and Zach Withers for joining Chad Franke and Dan Waldvogle in advocating for our member’s needs.

These meetings are a valuable opportunity to build relationships with our congressional offices and provide on-the-ground stories for how policies set in Washington D.C. truly affect our members at home. We will, once again, attend the National Legislative Fly-In this September 9th-11th. Please consider joining us!

RMFU Priority Bills for Spring 2024 Fly-In Member Meetings

Conservation and Western Agriculture

Protect conservation funding and maintain a strong Conservation Title by passing:

• CREP Improvement Act (S.1224)(H.R.4213)
• Voluntary Groundwater Conservation Easement Act (S.2250)(H.R.4902)
•  Small Farm Conservation Act (S.2180)
• EQIP Water Conservation Act (S.2696)
• EMIT Less Act (S.4056)
• Innovative FEED Act (S.1842) (H.R.6687)

Support the following bills to increase resiliency and improve the stewardship of our working lands:

• WEST Act (H.R.5764)
• ACEQUIA Act (S.2077) (H.R.4290)
• Resiliency for Ranching and Natural Conservation Act (S.1553)
• Ranching Without Red Tape Act (S.3322) (H.R.6441)
• To require the Secretary of Agriculture to develop a strategy to increase opportunities to utilize livestock grazing as a means of wildfire risk reduction. (H.R.7666)

Ag Labor and Immigration

• Amend the Affordable and Secure Food Act (S.4069)
• Adopt a two-year Adverse Effect Wage Rate freeze and return to 2022 circuit breaker limits
• Address the Disaggregated Wage rule by including the de minimis exemption from the House Ag Labor Working Group recommendations
• Increase the caps on year-round and portable H-2A visas
• Ensure that mandatory E-verify is practicable
• Support the Asuncion Valdivia Heat Illness, Injury, and Fatality Prevention Act (S.2501)
• Build solidarity between farm owners and farmworkers by amending the Supporting our Farm and Food System Workforce Act (S.2703) to include ag employer representation on the Advisory Committee
• Support the Voice of Farmworkers Act (S.2702)

Increase Competition and Support Rural Economies

• Support the Opportunities for Fairness in Farming (OFF) Act (S.557) (H.R.1249)
• Oppose the Ending Agricultural Trade Suppression (Eats) Act (S.2019) (H.R.4417)
• Support the Cattle Price Discovery and Transparency Act (S.228) (H.R.1287)
• Support the Agricultural Right to Repair Act (H.R.5604)
• Support the Strengthening Rural Cooperatives and Communities Act (H.R.6661)

Bolster the Farm Safety Net

• Whole Farm Revenue Protection Improvement Act (S.2598)
• Federal Agriculture Risk Management Enhancement and Resilience (FARMER) Act
• Protecting our Farmers from Drought (S.2643)
• Crop Insurance for Future Farmers Act (S.2458)(H.R. 3904)
• Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program Act (S.2035)

Pass a Robust Conservation Title in the Next Farm Bill

USDA conservation programs are essential for family farmers and ranchers as they work to mitigate the harmful effects of human-caused climate disruption, operate viable businesses, and participate in a climate-smart future through voluntary, incentive-based measures.

In recent years, family farmers and ranchers have faced increasingly erratic weather and dramatic changes to the water cycle including drought, floods, decreased surface flows, declining aquifers, and water contamination. While unique challenges vary across and within regions, those most affected are often farmers and ranchers. Drought and flood risks are as much symptoms of a loss of soil fertility as they are a product of weather variations. While farmers and ranchers are most likely to be negatively impacted by these challenges, they are also the group with the most power to positively affect water cycles and improve soil health for the benefit of their own operations, the environment, and society.

It is critical that Congress protect funding for conservation, agricultural water, and renewable energy programs allocated in the Inflation Reduction Act and produce a farm bill that compliments these investments while reforming current programs to meet the needs of family farmers and ranchers.

To these ends, Rocky Mountain Farmers Union supports:

• Incentivizing the implementation of healthy soil principles that build on-farm resilience and reduce emissions by sequestering carbon and providing essential ecosystem services.
• Protecting farmer and rancher data as they adopt climate-smart practices.
• Prioritizing funding for education programs and technical assistance that support agricultural producers to adapt to a changing climate.
• Providing crop insurance discounts to farmers who utilize conservation practices that increase resiliency or decrease risk.
• Taking advantage of clean energy opportunities while building additional enterprises and reducing costs for producers by maintaining the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP).
• Maintaining a strong Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) while meeting desired regional outcomes.
• Improving and expanding the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP).
• Ensuring that the Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP) and Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) receive adequate funding to meet demand.
• Establishing a tiered EQIP funding mechanism specifically designed for small-scale producers.
• Increasing efficiencies in irrigation systems and expanding the availability and cost share percentage of EQIP grants for irrigation efficiency improvements.
• Broadening conservation programming to serve range and pasture-based production including the Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative (GLCI) and implementing the strategies identified in the USDA’s Western Water and Working Lands Framework for Conservation Action.
• Improving voluntary based incentives for the System Conservation Pilot Program (SCPP) by streamlining the application process with clear standards for eligibility and compensation.
• Building effective regionally based solutions including Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) and USDA Regional Climate Hubs.
• Growing incentive programs to permanently protect agricultural groundwater while providing pathways for owners to receive compensation to reduce pumping through a voluntary agreement.
• Building clear accounting systems for surface and groundwater use as well as systems for measuring evapotranspiration and transit loss.
• Building markets for alternative and less water-intensive crops.
• Creating flexibility within the Agriculture Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) to allow for future amendments that support family-scale agriculture.
• Improving the functionality of the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP).

We ask for Congress to support the following measures:

• Small Farm Conservation Act (S.2180) (H.R.5354)
• CREP Improvement Act (S.1224) (H.R.4213)
• Voluntary Groundwater Conservation Easement Act (S.2250) (H.R.4902)
• EQIP Water Conservation Act (S.2696)
• WEST Act (H.R.5764)
• ACEQUIA Act (S.2077) (H.R.4290)
• Increase TSP Access Act (S.1400) (H.R.3036)
• Emergency Conservation Program (S.231)
• Resiliency for Ranching and Natural Conservation Act (S.1553)
• Streamlining Conservation Practice Standards Act (S.2603)
• Ranching Without Red Tape Act (S.3322) (H.R.6441)
• EMIT Less Act (S.4056)

The Need for a Strong Farm Safety Net

A strong farm safety net and robust risk management tools are critical in protecting family farmers and ranchers from market and weather volatility. Over the last several years, the existing farm safety net has proven inadequate in the face of market disruptions and natural disasters, and we appreciate Congress’s repeated efforts to provide emergency relief to offset those losses.

RMFU supports efforts to improve the affordability of higher levels of crop insurance coverage and supplemental coverage with multiple options to reflect the needs of different regions and operations. This includes improving the availability and affordability of crop insurance for specialty crop growers, livestock producers, diversified and small-scale agricultural operations, and producers in large counties.

Finally, we recognize the need to pass a farm bill that is fiscally responsible. We believe improvements to farm bill programs should be targeted to family farms and ranches. We urge Congress to consider proposals that would mitigate or offset the cost of these improvements through subsidy limits or eligibility restrictions.

We encourage Congress to:

• Support the Whole Farm Revenue Protection Improvement Act (S.2598)
• Support the Protecting our Farmers from Drought Act (S.2643) (H.R.5992)
• Support the Crop Insurance for Future Farmers Act (S.2458) (H.R. 3904)
• Support the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program Act (S.2035)
• Amend the Federal Agriculture Risk Management Enhancement and Resilience (FARMER) Act (S.4081) to include coverage for optional/basic units and implement means testing and payment limitations