How can we ensure that Congress is doing the right things addressing this in the farm bill?

Land-grant universities, like the University of Illinois Urbana-Champagne, are responsible for about 70 percent of all the agricultural research in the United States.

Without robust investment, the agriculture sector, a bedrock of our economy, risks losing its global competitiveness.

I'm a strong believer that talent comes from all corners of our Nation.

As a scientist, I have long said that we don't have a silver bullet to solve climate change. Instead, we have silver buckshot.

Cutting benefits would also harm our nation's farmers, who are supported by programs like SNAP and incentives within it.

I do not support changes to SNAP that will take away food from older Americans, children, families, veterans, people with disabilities.

SNAP has served as an essential safety net for my constituents, and boosts income for the agriculture industry.

I agree with you, the need is increasing today, which makes me question why anyone would want to make cuts.

Nearly 6,000 people participated in a telephone townhall of mine on Tuesday night. It allows me to understand what is most important to the people of my district today. One issue came up over and over. Cheryl from Moline asked about access…

The place is special, and it includes my district in northwestern Illinois.

We need NRCS to properly implement many of the conservation programs in the farm bill.

The region features extremely productive, but very fragile soils vulnerable to erosion.

I don't believe that the fearmongering with those in most need by playing partisan politics with disingenuous talking points, I think that is neither productive or appropriate for this Committee, and that should stop.

I was raised in abject rural poverty by a single mother. I was on what were actually food stamps at the time.

Thank you to the Chairman and Ranking Member for convening this hearing.

It is critical that conservation funds... reject a one-size-fits-all approach.

While we should continue to incentive producer's adoption of conservation and climate smart practices, these programs must be locally driven with a clear understanding of the environmental and agronomic conditions facing growers from…

The Conservation Title should focus on the locally led, voluntary, incentive-based conservation model instead of a top-down regulatory regime.

It is critical that conservation funds, both provided by the 2023 Farm Bill and the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act recognize the diversity of production practices across the cotton belt by rejecting a one-size-fits-all approach.

What can Congress do to support farmers who decide to incorporate this risk reducing soil health and conservation management practices?

Everything that Congress has done over the years to improve opportunities for young and beginning farmers has failed miserably.

We need to work on that.

It is critical that conservation funds...rejecting a one-size-fits-all approach.

Stop the nonsense. Let's get back to work and solve the real problems, which is what the people back home sent us here to do.