NCC Urges House Passage of Critical Farm Legislation

By Cotton Grower Staff|May 11, 2018

The National Cotton Council (NCC) is urging members of the U.S. House of Representatives to approve the proposed Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018 without any damaging amendments to farm policy.

The legislation, recently approved by the House Agriculture Committee, includes critically important policies for cotton producers and the entire U.S. cotton industry. NCC Chairman Ron Craft, a Plains, TX, ginner, noted that although budget constraints did not allow all of cotton’s priorities to be included, the Agriculture Committee is to be commended for its work.

“Cotton producers rely on the certainty and predictability of farm law to obtain the financing necessary for capital investments and annual crop production,” Craft said. “Without strong commodity and crop insurance policies underpinning U.S. agriculture, lenders would be reluctant to provide financing to an industry operating at the mercy of weather extremes and volatile global market prices.

“The current trade tensions further underscore the importance of having a strong, predictable farm policy,” Craft added. “Cotton is heavily export dependent, and this farm bill continues important policies to help U.S. cotton producers compete in a highly competitive global marketplace.”

According to the NCC, a strong farm bill also supports a healthy and thriving rural economy that includes cotton gins, warehouses, marketing coops and merchants to market the crop, cottonseed handlers, and textile manufacturers. Today, the 20,000 U.S. cotton farms and other related cotton businesses employ 126,000 people and generate more than $21 billion in annual revenue to the economy.