BATON ROUGE – On Friday, U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) met with farmers and others in Louisiana’s agricultural industry with U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR), the highest-ranking Republican member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. They participated in discussions and tours regarding Louisiana’s agricultural needs, in anticipation of a future Farm Bill.
“Senator Boozman and I met great Louisiana farmers who are feeding the world,” said Dr. Cassidy. “As they feed us, we can help them with crop insurance, ag research, hiring workers, cutting red tape, and protection from Joe Biden‘s radical climate agenda. I appreciate Senator Boozman listening to them before finishing the next Farm Bill.”
“I appreciate Senator Cassidy’s efforts to put together this excellent visit with the agriculture community of Arkansas’s southern neighbor. I truly believe that the best ideas come from the ground up, so hearing firsthand from Louisiana’s stakeholders will help us write a farm bill that better reflects their needs,” said Senator Boozman. “I’ve held these roundtables in over 20 different states during this listening tour and, while each state has unique agriculture profiles, farmers continue to share similar concerns – they want us to put more farm in the farm bill. I am committed to working with my colleagues to make that happen.”
First, Cassidy and Boozman visited the Louisiana State University (LSU) AgCenter Sugar Research Station in St. Gabriel. Located on 600 acres of land, the station develops new sugarcane varieties and integrated pest management systems for sugarcane. The station helps Louisiana’s sugarcane industry remain profitable, which according to the American Sugarcane League, produced more than two million tons of raw sugar in 2022, making Louisiana the number one cane sugar-producing state in America.
Cassidy and Boozman were greeted at the Sugar Research Station by Mr. Matt Lee, Ph.D., Vice President for Agriculture and the Dean of the College of Agriculture for LSU.
“Thank you, Senator Cassidy and Senator Boozman, for your support of the LSU AgCenter Sugar Research Station,” said Mr. Lee. “Sugarcane is a vital crop for Louisiana playing an essential role in bolstering our state’s economy. The LSU AgCenter has been instrumental in advancing the industry through variety development and the integration of cutting-edge technology for our farmers. We take pride in our century-long commitment to sugarcane production, having developed over 100 varieties, some of which are now cultivated in 70% of our state’s sugarcane fields today. These scientific advancements for the sugarcane industry yield an economic impact of nearly $1 billion annually for Louisiana growers.”
Afterwards, the senators went to the Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation’s Baton Rouge headquarters to meet with officials with the Farm Bureau and various agricultural associations, including the American Sugarcane League, the Louisiana Cotton and Grain Association, Louisiana Rice Growers, the Louisiana Forestry Association, the Louisiana Loggers Association and the Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation. The Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner of Louisiana, Mr. Mike Strain, D.V.M., was also there, as well as officials from LSU and Southern University and the chairs of the Louisiana Farm Bureau Women’s Leadership Committee and the Young Farmers and Ranchers Committee.
The officials present spoke about their needs and how the next Farm Bill can help address them. Welcoming the Senators was Mr. Richard Fontenot, President of the Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation.
“Senators Bill Cassidy and John Boozman have an uphill battle to make the Senate version of the Farm Bill look like the one Louisiana Farm Bureau supports that came out of the House Ag Committee,” said Mr. Fontenot. “It makes me proud that they chose to arm themselves with knowledge from Louisiana Farm Bureau volunteer leaders who are engaged, informed and fresh out of our annual meeting where we discussed our policy priorities. Our farmers and ranchers know first-hand what it takes to ensure food security and national security. Now it’s up to Senators Cassidy and Boozman to take that knowledge back to Washington, D.C. and get a Farm Bill passed that is good for Louisiana. They are both champions for Southern agriculture and we are confident they can lead the charge.”
Finally, Cassidy and Boozman visited Liuzza Family Farms, based in Tangipahoa Parish. Among other sites, they surveilled a vegetable farm and visited a wedding venue surrounded by land which will be converted into farmland. They learned about Liuzza Farms’ challenges, including hiring workers.
The Senators were led on a tour of those sites by Mr. Joey Liuzza, owner of Liuzza Family Farms.
“Senators Cassidy and Boozman came to Tangipahoa Parish to learn what we need to keep our farms going,” said Mr. Liuzza. “We need to see the H2A visa program strengthened so we can staff our farms. I appreciate the Senators listening to our request.”
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