Voices for Agriculture: Debbie Stabenow and Glenn 'GT' Thompson

Debbie Stabenow and Glenn "GT" Thompson often advocate for separate sides of the same coin seeking the same outcome: stronger agricultural and rural economies.

Stabenow, 74, a Democrat from Michigan, is chairwoman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, a role she held off and on for a decade. Stabenow will retire at the end of this year after serving in the Senate since 2001.

Thompson, 64, a Republican representing Pennsylvania's 15th congressional district, chairs the House Agriculture Committee and is serving his ninth term.

Together, they hope to end 2024 with a new five-year farm bill. To do so, they must reconcile differences about some of the biggest aspects of farm policy: commodity programs, nutrition and conservation.

Having chaired Senate Ag in both 2014 and 2018, when the last farm bills were written, Stabenow has helped improve crop insurance options for producers. "I'm also glad we are focusing on crop insurance, which includes every single crop and not just the commodity crop," Stabenow told reporters in April. "When you ask farmers the most important part of risk management for them, it's crop insurance."

In 2023, Stabenow led the effort to get $19.5 billion in the Inflation Reduction Act for conservation practices that reduce greenhouse gas emissions or sequester carbon.

Thompson got first crack at passing a farm bill out of committee in May, his plans highlighting a more robust safety net. He also shifted some nutrition funds and dollars from the Commodity Credit Corp. to boost commodity programs and crop insurance, and support research. "We should be on the leading edge of science, technology and innovation within research."

**

-- https://www.stabenow.senate.gov/…

-- https://thompson.house.gov/…

-- Follow Chris Clayton on DTN at https://www.dtnpf.com/… or follow him on social platform X @ChrisClaytonDTN

[PF_0824]

(c) Copyright 2024 DTN, LLC. All rights reserved.