On Wednesday, the House Agriculture Committee held a listening session in Waco, Texas, to get stakeholder input as it prepares for the upcoming farm bill. Dr. Thomas Wynn attended on behalf of USRPA and advocated for greater assistance for the farm safety net programs and updates to reference prices. He also thanked Congress for the $250 million in assistance for rice producers included in the FY2023 omnibus appropriations bill passed in December 2022.

"As we move into the Farm Bill season, this is the most important piece of legislation on the docket for me this year simply because the failure for the rice market to reflect current input costs of production requires me to lean ever more heavily on the safety net benefits that are encapsulated within that piece of legislation," Wynn said.

A recording of the listening session can be found here. Dr. Wynn’s testimony begins around the 1:30:00 mark.