ARA Endorses FACA Farm Bill Policies

The Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA) is proud to endorse the 2023 farm bill policy priorities announced today by the Food and Agricultural Climate Alliance (FACA).

“Ag retailers and distributors are vital to the nation's food security success because they supply essential products and services to farmers," said ARA President & CEO Daren Coppock.

"With the farm bill up for reauthorization this year, ARA is advocating for several measures to be included to benefit America’s agricultural production system. FACA and its members, including ARA, have done a terrific job of communicating priorities across a broad set of industry interests and compiling a document we can all get behind.

"We are happy to lend our support to get a farm bill done in 2023 and look forward to working with Congress toward an effective and bipartisan bill.”

ARA endorses this document because many of the FACA priorities align with the priorities ratified by the ARA board of directors on Feb. 8. ARA's priorities for farm bill reauthorization include:

• Preserve the crop insurance program and similar important safety nets;
• Work with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Risk Management Agency (RMA) to modify prevented planting dates to lessen potential impacts on the ag retail sector;
• Support codifying oversight of pesticide registrations and regulations at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and state agencies;
• Maintain current acreage dedicated to Conservation Programs (CRP/CSP) and the protection of working lands; and
• Support the statistical survey work carried out by the National Agricultural Statistical Service in support of the Conservation Effects Assessment Project administered by the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

To learn more about ARA and its policy priorities, visit www.aradc.org/advocacy.