House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson says he’s concerned that a year-long extension of the 2018 farm bill will wind up delaying the Senate’s work a new farm bill.
Pumpkin growers in Texas, New Mexico, and Colorado faced challenges this year due to water shortages and extreme heat, exacerbated by climate change. Some lost over 20% of their expected yields, while others left land bare due to water allotments and rising electricity costs for irrigation. The scarcity of groundwater, slow replenishment of aquifers, and declining rainfall due to climate change continue to burden farmers in the arid West, influencing their crop choices.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., says he still intends to get a farm bill through the House this year, despite the ongoing turmoil in the chamber.
Lawmakers are inching ever closer to a government shutdown. It’s true that Sept. 30, the end of the fiscal year, is still two weeks away, but House conservatives continue to play hardball with Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif.