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Hagan visits J.P. Davenport & Son Farm in Greenville to discuss Farm Bill
Story Date: 8/23/2013
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Source: PRESS RELEASE, 8/21/13
U.S. Senator Kay Hagan (D-N.C.) today visited J.P. Davenport & Son Farm in Greenville to talk about the importance of approving a Farm Bill. In June, Hagan helped pass a bipartisan Senate Farm Bill that contained major victories for North Carolina farmers. The Senate and House of Representatives must agree on a Farm Bill before the current law expires on September 30. Agriculture is North Carolina's largest industry, generating $77 billion in economic activity and employing nearly one-fifth of the state's workforce.
"Agriculture is North Carolina's biggest industry, and one of the most pressing issues facing Congress right now is the looming deadline to pass a new Farm Bill," said Hagan. "Approving a 2013 Farm Bill would give farms like J.P. Davenport and Son the certainty needed to expand and create jobs, and access to new measures that help to recover after losses caused by events outside their control. Congress must put partisan politics aside and approve a 2013 Farm Bill to keep our agricultural economy humming."
J.P. Davenport & Son Farm is a fifth-generation family farm located in Pitt County. Brothers Lawrence and Charles Davenport expanded what was a 300-acre tobacco farm in the 1960's into a 3,600-acre farm supporting a multitude of commodities, including cotton, wheat, soybeans and peanuts. The Davenports have also grown the family's seed processing business, treating hundreds of thousands of bushels of soybeans and wheat seed annually that are shipped to growers across the country.
The Davenports rely on federal crop insurance to protect against losses caused by extreme weather and other events outside their control.
"Federal Crop Insurance has a direct positive impact on farmers, and I appreciate Senator Hagan's leadership to strengthen the program in this year's Farm Bill," said Lawrence Davenport, co-owner of J.P. Davenport & Son. "The actions of a few bad actors can drive up premium costs for everyone, and Senator Hagan's amendment cracks down on crop insurance fraud and abuse to preserve the program for honest law abiding farmers."
Hagan sponsored an amendment to the Senate Farm Bill that provides the USDA with the necessary resources to combat fraud and preserve safety-net programs for honest hardworking farmers. The amendment was approved by a vote of 94-0.
She also led a bipartisan coalition to defeat an amendment that would have prevented tobacco farmers from receiving federal crop insurance. Passage of the amendment would have significantly harmed roughly 2,000 small tobacco farmers in North Carolina, increased imports of foreign tobacco, and done nothing to lower smoking rates.
The bipartisan Farm Bill that the Senate approved represents the most significant reform of American agriculture policy in decades. The bill eliminates direct payments and creates new safety net programs for farmers. Instead of subsidies that pay out every year even in good times, the bill creates risk management tools that help farmers recover from losses caused by extreme weather.
By reforming the direct payment system, streamlining programs and cracking down on abuse, the Senate-passed Farm Bill slashes the deficit by $24 billion.
The Senate bill also includes other measures championed by Senator Hagan, including:
§ Additional funding for a program that provides technical assistance to historically underserved farmers and farmers returning from service in the U.S. military.
§ Reinstating the Economic Adjustment Assistance Program (EAAP) that spurs growth and jobs in North Carolina's cotton textile sector.
§ A plain language provision that requires USDA to make information about federal crop insurance policies more readable and accessible so farmers can make more informed decisions.
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