WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Chairman John Boozman (R-AR) delivered the following opening statement at a hearing to consider the nomination of Richard Fordyce to be Under Secretary of Agriculture for Farm Production and Conservation.
The following is the Chairman’s opening statement as prepared for delivery:
“Good afternoon. It is my privilege to call this hearing to order. I thank my colleagues for joining us. Today we will consider the nomination of Mr. Richard Fordyce of Missouri to be Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation at USDA.
“Mr. Fordyce, congratulations on your nomination. Thank you for your willingness to serve, again.
“When reviewing your background, it is clear you have the experience to lead the FPAC mission area. You’ve experienced the challenges of operating a family farm. You’ve been a customer of and have led FSA offices yourself. You served as a public servant in state government and at USDA during President Trump’s first term. These experiences will be critical for you to draw on as you make decisions that will have bearing on family farms and rural communities amid an extremely challenging farm economy.
“Your nomination comes at a crucial time for American agriculture. The men and women at FPAC agencies work hand in hand with our farmers, ranchers and rural communities to utilize the tools and resources necessary to mitigate depressed commodity prices, shifting markets, persistently high input costs and intense natural disasters.
“In the face of mounting risks, American farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners persevere to continue their family legacy and feed, fuel, and clothe our nation and the world.
“I appreciate the ongoing work at USDA to implement the $10 billion Emergency Commodity Assistance Program, the $20 billion Supplemental Disaster Assistance program, and the updates to the farm safety net and risk management tools we recently included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. This bill also provided needed investments in conservation programs and we will rely on your leadership to ensure NRCS efficiently implements these programs for our producers. But we still have work to do.
“We need to modernize current farm loan limits which have not kept pace with an increasingly capital-intensive industry.
“Approval times for farm loans vary greatly by state and county and can lead to unacceptable delays at critical times when producers are attempting to purchase land or get seed in the ground. FSA must have the personnel and technology necessary to responsibly reduce the amount of time it takes for loans to be processed.
“We also must lower existing hurdles for young and beginning farmers. Every day, the next generation of farmers are working to buy land, expand their operations, and streamline the process of transitioning farm ownership and operation from one generation to the next. There needs to be an emphasis on maximizing the efficiency of FSA programs to better enable young farmers to capture this dream.
“If confirmed as Under Secretary of the USDA mission area that oversees these critical producer facing programs, the committee will look to you to quickly implement improvements authorized by Congress and follow congressional intent.
“I look forward to hearing from Mr. Fordyce on these issues. Again, congratulations on your nomination.”