In the News

ABILENE, Texas (KTAB) - Cotton farmers across the Big Country are rejoicing this month after Congress passed a funding bill that restored a safety net for cotton producers. When cotton was taken off Title I of the Farm Bill, local cotton farmers say they were put in a tough situation. "You know with the expenses of seed, equipment, metal, it's been real tough for the last three years trying to survive I guess on no government help," local cotton farmer, Joe Posey said. "The biggest part of the Farm Bill that we needed to address was getting Cotton back into the agriculture safety net," Congressman Jodey Arrington said. Cotton farmers can now rest easy. As of earlier this month, Congress passed a funding bill that put cotton back under Title I of the Farm Bill "Which is a game changer for West Texas because we have the largest contiguous cotton patch in the world," Congressman Arrington said. Which means seed cotton is eligible for agriculture risk coverage and price loss coverage. "That's a big fix, it's a permanent fix," Congressman Arrington said. "It's going to be very beneficial back to us farmers," Posey said. As an agricultural driven area, This was a big win for the Big Country. "That's who we are and if it weren't for Ag and energy producers we wouldn't be able to feed and clothe the American people and fuel the American economy," Congressman Arrington said. Congressman Arrington said there is still work to be done on the Farm Bill but because they restored the safety net status of cotton, Congress is that much closer to completing the Farm Bill on time.