Agricultural Summit for Our Farmers
Floor Speech
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Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, during the August recess I had the pleasure of hosting one of my favorite annual events, an agriculture summit in Cresson, Pennsylvania, Cambria County.
The event took place for the second year in a row at Mount Aloysius College, and I was pleased to have several special guests join me, both in person and virtually.
Participating in the summit to lend their expertise were: USDA Under Secretary Bill Northey; Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding; and Pennsylvania Farm Bureau President, Rick Ebert.
Joining our discussion were nearly 100 virtual attendees from across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Our discussion centered around a number of important policy issues impacting our Nation's farmers, including a discussion on what they hope to see in the next round of coronavirus relief.
I always look for opportunities to engage directly with farmers and ranchers and producers and processors. This year's agriculture summit provided valuable feedback about how the pandemic has affected rural America; feedback that will be critical as Congress continues to address the impacts of the pandemic on the agricultural sector.
Prior to the coronavirus, the farm economy had been in a multiyear slump. Just as things were starting to look up, with USMCA signed into law and new trade deals in the works, this pandemic hit all of us hard, particularly our farm families.
I have heard a great deal of positive feedback across the board about the USDA Farmers to Families Food Boxes. Not only is this program providing fresh, nutritious foods to families in need, it also is helping farmers sell crops that may otherwise go to waste.
I have been impressed with the quality of the program, particularly with the oversight and efficiency. Thanks to the Farmers to Families Food Box Program, more than 90 million boxes have been delivered to families in need.
Another program that has been helping our farmers is the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program, or CFAP. Now, I couldn't believe it, but one of the farmers I met while back in my district for August recess had not heard of the program and how it could help his family farm.
I want to urge my colleagues, especially now that the second round of CFAP has been made available, to continue to spread the word about this valuable resource.
While we have supported the agriculture industry in the previous COVID relief efforts, many of our farmers are wondering what is next.
It is my hope that we put politics aside and finally come together on a bipartisan agreement that will support our hardworking essential employees in the agriculture industry, as well as our critical industries.
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