Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026

Floor Speech

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Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Chairman, I thank Mr. Thompson for yielding and for his excellent work on this farm bill.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of my amendment that is included in the amendments en bloc and also in support of the underlying bill text. My amendment would add biostimulants to the farm bill's demonstration project.

Biostimulants are substances or microorganisms that stimulate natural plant processes to enhance nutrient uptake and efficiency for crops.

Trees are amazing organisms. They are made up of over 1,000 natural chemical compounds that include biostimulants. Like biochar, biostimulants have been used by farmers for decades but offer potentially new and exciting applications. Further research into these two areas can create a win-win for our fire-prone, overgrown national forests and for farmers across the country.

Managing our forests is going to require new markets, and biostimulants offer the promise of a market-based solution that would make removal of low-value materials from our national forests more economical, while making our farmland more productive.

In fact, during President Trump's first term, USDA estimated that biostimulants could become a $5 billion global market. By adding biostimulants to the biochar demonstration project, my amendment will provide more science and understanding that can support farmers, create jobs, and reduce the risks of catastrophic wildfire.

This amendment does this by allowing biostimulants to be tested in demonstration projects across the country and by incentivizing new research into biostimulants.

Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this amendment.

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Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Chair, I rise in support of my friend from Oregon, Mr. Bentz', amendment. This may be the most simple, straight-to-the- point, easy-to-understand amendment. It does one thing: It corrects the definition of woody biomass.

Mr. Chairman, this amendment clarifies that woody biomass is biomass that comes from wood. Yes, Mr. Chair, you heard that right. Woody biomass is biomass that comes from wood, and this amendment would fix that definition.

Mr. Chairman, only in the Federal Government would this clarification be required. For the love of trees everywhere and for basic human understanding, I encourage everyone to support this amendment.

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