MONTGOMERY, ALA. – Agriculture & Industries Commissioner Rick Pate announced Monday that U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville will attend a series of public hearings throughout the state in August to engage with the public ahead of the renewal of a legislative agricultural package.
Known as the Farm Bill, the legislative package is passed by Congress every five years, and is set for renewal this year in 2023. The package includes things like subsidies to incentivize and support farming and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps.
A member of the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee, Tuberville will play a key role in developing the latest version of the Farm Bill, and will be joined by ADAI Commissioner Rick Pate during the public hearings.
“I want to encourage everyone in Alabama to attend at least one of these public hearings and actively participate so that your concerns about the future of agriculture can be addressed in the upcoming 2023 Farm Bill,” Pate said. “Time will be set aside for the audience to voice their concerns.”
Three public hearings are scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 1; one at Coastal Alabama Community College at 9:15 a.m., another at the Wiregrass Research & Extension Center at 12 p.m., and the third at Snead State Community College at 3 p.m. A fourth public hearing will be held at the Alabama Wildlife Federation in Millbrook on Wednesday, Aug. 2 at 9:30 a.m., just north of Montgomery.
Ahead of the public hearings, Tuberville shared his priorities for the latest version of the Farm Bill, which include things like addressing rising fuel, feed and fertilizer costs, which have increased by as much as 179% between 2021 and 2022. Tuberville also named protecting crop insurance programs, extending funding to feral swine control programs, and supporting broadband expansion as other key priorities of his for the 2023 Farm Bill.
Also a member of three agriculture subcommittees, Tuberville has previously introduced a number of bills aimed at the farming industry, including the FARM Act, which prohibit certain foreign entities from purchasing American farmland, and the Feral Swine Eradication Act in 2023.