Sunflower State News

Wichita, Kansas – On June 28, U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. joined KAKE live from Wichita to discuss his initiatives in the Senate to protect South Central Kansas, with an update on the 2023 Farm Bill; and the importance of crop insurance, conservation, and nutrition. Senator Marshall sits on the Senate Agriculture Committee.

You may click HERE or on the image above to watch Senator Marshall’s full interview.

Highlights from the interview include:

On the 2023 Farm Bill and the importance of nutrition, crop insurance and conservation measures: 

“I’m a fifth generation farm kid and invested in agriculture through the years as well. But a Farm Bill is so important – not just to farmers, but to Wichita, Kansas, and let me tell you why. About 90% of the funding for a Farm Bill is for nutrition programs. Every day in the state of Kansas, we feed about 200,000 meals – 200,000 meals – every day from the USDA.” 

“Yesterday I was at Derby Middle School; fed almost 200 kids there. Think about your senior centers, your meals on wheels, food banks, WIC programs, all important”

“Well, certainly from an agriculture standpoint, the priority is crop insurance, crop insurance, crop insurance. Think about what’s going on in Kansas just this year. A third of the wheat crop is going to be plowed under, the worst drought we’ve had since 1917.”

“I think that crop insurance is important, but also are the conservation programs. 5% of the Farm Bill for crop insurance funding, about 5% for conservation…Agriculture is leading the way, we were the original stewards of the land.” 

“So just like your grocery bill went up, the grocery bill in D.C. has went up for these nutrition programs. So it’s actually gone from about $70 billion a year to now we’re spending $140 billion a year for the nutrition programs. And the challenge is: where’s the money going to come from? We’re already $32 trillion in national debt. We’re spending $650 billion a year in interest. So how do I fund this program? And that’s what I’m trying to figure out.”

“We’ve been out there across the state multiple times. Was in southwest Kansas last week in Northwest Kansas a couple of weeks ago. We’re going to be on a combine this afternoon as well here in Sedgwick County. You get about two miles outside of Wichita, what do you see? You see Kansas wheat out there as well, but I think the crop insurance programs are the most important.” 

On the inflation impact to Wichitans: 

“The average Kansas family is spending over $800 more per month just for food, groceries and housing, and their energy bills as well right now per month than they were two years ago.”

On Senator Marshall’s EATS Act: 

“Proposition 12 was California’s legislation that’s telling Kansas farmers, ranchers how to raise pigs if you can believe it or not.”

Original source can be found here.