[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 152 (Wednesday, September 21, 2022)]
[House]
[Pages H8013-H8014]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       KANSAS CORN HARVEST REPORT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Kansas (Mr. Mann) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. MANN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to deliver the 14th installment 
of my farm bill impact series during a time when the effects of a poor 
corn harvest in Kansas are only compounded by rising inflation.
  Kansas farmers are laboring under the burden of skyrocketing input 
costs while they work hard to keep our country fed, fueled, and 
clothed, and they deserve workable solutions to this inflation crisis 
before the situation gets any worse. Farming is already a risky, 
volatile business without the added burden of inflation, and USDA 
estimates that input costs will continue to

[[Page H8014]]

rise to astronomical rates throughout 2022 and beyond.
  For an example of the risk of volatility in farming, the corn harvest 
is underway in some parts of Kansas, and the results are a fraction of 
the yield that farmers hope for and bank on during normal seasons. The 
farm bill which Congress will reauthorize in 2023 exists, in part, 
specifically for situations like this current corn crop to provide 
energy assistance to our ag producers even when Mother Nature doesn't 
cooperate.
  The weather in Kansas can be extreme and unpredictable, which means 
that growing corn can be a very difficult prospect. Kansas is suffering 
from a major drought right now. According to the USDA, for the week 
ending September 11, only 14 percent of Kansas topsoil was rated as 
adequate. And USDA rated the corn condition 27 percent very poor, 27 
percent poor, 24 percent fair, 20 percent good, and only 2 percent 
excellent. Meanwhile, according to Drought Monitor, 34 counties in my 
district alone are in extreme drought, and 16 are in exceptional 
drought.

  The farther west you go in Kansas, Mr. Speaker, the worse it gets. 
Even irrigated fields are having issues, and far more corn crops than 
normal will be complete losses. Many Kansas producers are saying that 
this is the worst corn harvest in recent memory. This is a dire 
situation. Farmers invest hundreds of thousands of dollars in producing 
this essential crop, and its failure means that farmers are left 
wondering how they are going to put food on the table and pay for gas 
to drive their kids to school. To make matters worse, consumers end up 
without access to many of the products that they have learned to enjoy 
and on which they depend.
  This is where farm bill programs like crop insurance come in. Crop 
insurance serves producers and consumers alike because it helps prevent 
producers from going out of business and grocery store aisles from 
sitting empty. Farm bill programs like crop insurance have secured our 
national food supply and helped generations of producers avoid 
bankruptcy when times get tough. We are in one of those times right 
now. Inflation is skyrocketing in America, President Biden is trying to 
impose his farm killer tax and dismantle the stepped-up basis, and 
producers are going out of business. The need to reauthorize the farm 
bill for 2023 has come at a critical moment in time.
  A bad harvest in Kansas isn't just about money. It is about morale 
and spirit. Missing harvest time in Kansas doesn't just mean missing 
out on the yield of a cash crop. It means missing out on a special 
Kansas tradition of celebrating the culmination of all of your family's 
hard work. It creates financial insecurity while leaving a void where a 
renewal of family camaraderie should be. Washington, D.C., 
unfortunately, doesn't understand this. This city has never been 
crippled by something like a lost harvest.
  D.C. moves right along through drought, heat, late winter snows, and 
torrential downpours unfazed. That is why I am standing here today, to 
remind Congress that 1 in 10 employed Americans--nearly 20 million 
people in this country--work in food and agriculture where weather 
creates a make-or-break situation for their livelihoods. And, most 
importantly, every American has to eat.
  American agricultural producers are hurting not only from 
skyrocketing input costs that come from inflation, but also from 
lowered morale that comes from extreme heat, drought, thin margins, and 
a broken supply chain. In 2023, Congress must reauthorize the farm bill 
with American farm families at the front of their minds because they 
are in a crisis.
  I will be back on the floor soon to deliver another installment of my 
farm bill impact series and highlight more programs and titles within 
the bill that I believe Congress must understand and support to ensure 
that agriculture thrives in America. The people who feed, fuel, and 
clothe us all deserve our unwavering support. They also deserve a 
robust safety net in the farm bill and workable solutions to the 
inflation crisis before it is too late.

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