A group of 17 Republican governors has sent a joint letter to Congress urging passage of an updated Farm Bill.

The most recent Farm Bill, which federal lawmakers approved early in President-elect Donald Trump’s first term in the White House, expired in September. Different versions of a reauthorization bill are pending in the U.S. House and Senate, while Republicans and Democrats are divided over funding for food stamps.

The letter, dated Monday, cites “high inflation, high input costs, high interest rates, catastrophic weather events, natural disasters, regulatory uncertainty, and a growing agricultural trade deficit” as lending a sense of urgency to the need for congressional action. “Our nation’s agriculture industry is in trouble, and if meaningful support is not provided soon, the well-being of the nation is at risk,” the governors wrote. “Reauthorization of a Farm Bill and immediate assistance in the interim will allow farmers and ranchers to do what they do best - provide for America and feed the world.”

Georgia Republican Gov. Brian Kemp joined the GOP governors of Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, and West Virginia in signing the letter.

Source - https://www.macon.com