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MEMPHIS – The National Cotton Council (NCC) appreciates the work of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry Committee for producing a farm bill that includes provisions supported by the cotton industry.
The NCC thanks Chairwoman Stabenow (D-MI) for including many of the cotton industry's priorities in her mark-up document and expresses appreciation to Ranking Member Cochran (R-MS) and Sen. Chambliss (R-GA) for their successful efforts to ensure sunbelt commodities received equitable treatment. It is a tribute to the Committee's leaders that the legislation was reported favorably by a bipartisan 15-5 vote.
In addition to including significant policy reforms and cotton provisions that should resolve the longstanding Brazil World Trade Organization case, the legislation will contribute more than $18 billion to deficit reduction over the next 10 years, as estimated by the Congressional Budget Office. Counting the additional agriculture-related savings resulting from the March 1 sequester order, the total savings would be $24.4 billion over 10 years.
NCC Chairman Jimmy Dodson, a South Texas cotton producer, said, "The Committee's efforts on this farm bill are an important step toward providing producers with critically important predictability and tools to manage risk. Producers and their lenders need sound, long-term farm programs to sustain investments and to make market oriented planting and marketing decisions. The NCC is especially pleased that the Senate Committee did not have to consider several amendments that would have seriously damaged the cotton program. Instead, they chose to include provisions to provide cotton farmers long term certainty and vital economic assistance to the U.S. textile industry. We now urge prompt consideration by the full Senate."
Dodson said the industry will call on Cotton Belt Senators to support the Committee's work and oppose damaging amendments when the legislation is considered by the full Senate. |
