By NATE KING
Salina Post
"The Big First" District Congressman Tracey Mann was back in Kansas this week completeing his schedule of town halls in 60 Kanas counties.
Mann's well-attended Wednesday town hall event in Salina was held in the Salina Area Chamber of Commerce annex, 120 W. Ash, on Wednesday.
Mann spoke about the ongoing farm bill talks, the listing of the Lesser Prairie-Chicken as an endangered species, special education funding, school lunches, the food supply, and protecting public lands and the current drought.
"In a good farm bill, the process is the ag committee goes and has listening sessions," Mann said. "You want to hear from producers and stakeholders in a really robust fashion. There's probably more engagement than in any other bill in Congress, you could argue."
The current farm bill expires Sept. 30. The "Big First District" stretches west from Lawrence to the Colorado border and is the third largest agriculture producer of the country's 435 total Congressional districts.
Mann, who serves on the House Agriculture Committee and comes from a farming family in Quinter, said "It's important that we get this right. It's important that we get it right for agriculture and for rural America.
Mann has hosted several listening sessions including one in Manhattan in May with U.S. House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn 'GT' Thompson (PA-15).
READ: Rep. Mann protects agricultural producers from 'unconstitutional overreach'
“We came together for a listening session because we care about American agriculture, we care about getting ag policy right, and we want to see American farmers, ranchers, and producers thrive,” said Rep. Mann. “We had people with many different perspectives in attendance – people who prioritize Title 1 and people who prioritize Title 12, people who care about row crops and people who care about livestock, representatives from commodity groups, and representatives from trade associations."
The 1933 farm bill, which was focused almost exclusively on farmers, now only represents a portion of today’s farm bill. The farm bill as we know it is aimed at funding agriculture programs packaged under a single bill with “titles” addressing specific areas.
Though the titles vary from bill to bill, the 2018 farm bill included 12 that covered commodities, conservation, trade, nutrition, credit, rural development, research, extension and related matters, forestry, energy, horticulture, crop insurance, and a catchall for miscellaneous matters.<
While the list is expansive, 99 percent of farm bill spending is currently dedicated to nutrition, commodities, crop insurance, and conservation. Most has gone toward the nutrition component, primarily through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which helps vulnerable families purchase healthy food.
READ: How the farm bill impacts everyone- not just farmers
"Without a doubt, the most important part of the Farm Bill process is hearing from our farmers, ranchers, foresters, and producers," said Chairman Thompson. "The feedback we receive is necessary for crafting an effective Farm Bill. I'd like to thank Congressman Mann for being a great agriculture advocate and for bringing together a diverse group of stakeholders to learn more about the needs of rural Kansans."
Members of the public voiced their concern with the timeline surrouding this year's farm bill, "We're being told the base drafting of the text will be released later this month, early next," Mann Said. Amendments are likely to be considered by the Agriculture Committee in September after Congress returns from its summer recess.
For Mann and many Kansas ag producers, the biggest interest and priority in the farm bill is crop insurance.
"I just think it's such an important risk management tool. Wheat harvest this year was a bad crop. Some areas were great. We had a really good April, May, and June but not enough moisture for a good stand," Mann said.
Town hall attendees voiced their concerns over the role back of free school lunches, their voices not being represented in Washington, motorcyclist rights being restricted and foreign governments acquiring farm land in Kansas.