Crapo, Colleagues Call on Ag Committee Leadership to Address Long-Term Drought in Farm Bill

Washington, D.C.--U.S. Senator Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) joined Senators Michael Bennet (D-Colorado) and Deb Fischer (R-Nebraska) and 14 bipartisan Senate colleagues to call on U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry leaders to address long-term drought in the upcoming Farm Bill.

“Agriculture is the economic backbone for rural communities in our states. However, severe, long-term drought is devastating these rural areas,” wrote the Senators.  “During periods of droughts, our farmers and ranchers face diminishing crop and livestock outputs. These negative effects reverberate through the community, affecting not just individual producers, but the broader local economy and food system.”

“We urge the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee under your leadership to consider these risks as you draft the upcoming Farm Bill.  The farmers and ranchers in our states are counting on a multi-year Farm Bill that provides support to conserve water, improve watershed scale planning, upgrade water infrastructure, protect land from erosion, and create long-term resiliency on changing landscapes for growers in drought-affected regions,” concluded the Senators. 

Senators John Hickenlooper (D-Colorado), Mark Kelly (D-Arizona), Jerry Moran (R-Kansas), Jacky Rosen (D-Nevada), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Kyrsten Sinema (I-Arizona), Laphonza Butler (D-California), Ron Wyden (D-Oregon), Patty Murray (D-Washington), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nevada), Martin Heinrich (D-New Mexico), Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon), Ben Ray Luján (D-New Mexico) and Alex Padilla (D-California) also signed the letter. 

The letter is available HERE