[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 119 (Monday, July 16, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H6197-H6198]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            PASS A FARM BILL

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Kansas (Mr. Marshall) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. MARSHALL. Mr. Speaker, 6 years ago, farmers and ranchers across 
Kansas faced drought conditions that crippled crops, dried ponds, and 
forced livestock owners to abandon pastures. In the years since, rain 
has fallen and conditions returned to normal, but drought conditions 
have once again struck Kansas, leaving many counties across my district 
dry and worried.
  Ranchers in the Flint Hills of Kansas are finding themselves short of 
water and grass for their cattle, while farmers in central Kansas watch 
corn and soybean plants shrivel under the unrelenting heat. Some 
counties are nearly 15 inches behind normal rainfall totals, with many 
under extreme drought declaration.
  All of this on top of low commodity prices and market uncertainty 
strains operating budgets and pushes farmer suicide rates to more than 
double that of the general population. That is right, Mr. Speaker, our 
farmer suicide rates are more than double that of the general 
population.
  Unfortunately, the impacts do not stop at the farm gate. When 
production agriculture suffers, so do the communities our producers 
call home and the

[[Page H6198]]

companies that support the agriculture industry. The drought really 
does impact us all.

  Earlier this month, I visited Connie and Joe Mushrush's Red Angus 
Ranch in Chase County, Kansas. They showed me their vacant pastures and 
dry ponds, and admitted this drought was one of the worst their family 
has ever endured. They are not alone, as I hear stories of farmers and 
ranchers all across the district struggling to find solutions and 
options for their crops and cattle.
  While I cannot deliver the rain many of us pray for, I can help to 
bring a level of certainty and support to my farmers and ranchers 
through final passage of the 2018 farm bill. I have worked hard, 
alongside my Agriculture Committee colleagues, to write and pass 
legislation that continues crop insurance and conservation programs 
that help producers operate their farms and ranches more efficiently.
  Farmers never want a handout, but in trying times like these, it is 
essential that we support those who put food on our table with a safety 
net that we can all count on. I will continue to do all I can to 
support my farmers and ranchers, and I ask that my colleagues say a 
prayer for rain and for the men and women who feed us all.

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