SENATE COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE, NUTRITION, & FORESTRY
CONFIRMATION HEARING FOR USDA NOMINEE
For questions on the note below, please contact the Delta Strategy Group team.
On July 23, the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry held a hearing to examine Richard Fordyce’s nomination for Under Secretary of Agriculture for Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC) at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Fordyce’s testimony is available here, with Chairman Boozman’s (R-AR) opening statement available here.
On July 28, the Committee voted 19-4 to favorably report Fordyce’s nomination out of the Committee, with a full Senate floor vote to conclude his confirmation process as the next step in the proceedings.
Below is a summary, prepared by Delta Strategy Group, of the hearing, which includes several high-level takeaways from opening statements and discussion.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Chairman Boozman (R-AR) commended the ongoing work at USDA to implement the $10 billion Emergency Commodity Assistance Program (ECAP), the $20 billion Supplemental Disaster Assistance program, and the updates to the farm safety net and risk management tools included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBA), in addition to investments in conservation programs.
- Chairman Boozman discussed how voluntary and incentive-based conservation programs are a key part of the safety net to maximize on-farm efficiencies and opportunities, alongside producer productivity. He asked Fordyce about plans to promote and enhance voluntary and incentive-based conservation programs, referencing the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), with Fordyce emphasizing the role of promoting positive producer experiences and peer-to-peer outreach.
- Chairman Boozman highlighted the need to modernize current farm loan limits, referencing unacceptable delays at critical times for producers, as he emphasized that the Farm Service Agency (FSA) must have the personnel and technology necessary to responsibly reduce the amount of time it takes for loans to be processed.
- Chairman Boozman questioned Fordyce about necessary improvements to technology and communication between FSA and the Risk Management Agency (RMA), with Fordyce responding that much of the technology and software is old, and in some cases, antiquated. He agreed on the need for modernization in the tools that are used by FSA to deliver programs, in addition to the modernization of how FSA engages with producers.
- Senator Marshall (R-KS) and Fordyce discussed the role and importance of soil health, with Senator Marshall asking for and receiving Fordyce’s commitment to working to modernize conservation programs in the upcoming Farm Bill. Senator Marshall commented that there may be two or three years of decreased commodity production during a transition from traditional agriculture into regenerative agriculture, while highlighting the need for stability during it, with Fordyce in agreement.
- Senator Tuberville (R-AL) asked if Fordyce would support his proposed bill that would authorize a study on double and rotational cropping of winter canola in the Midsouth region to gather data as farmers are beginning to grow winter canola for synthetic aviation fuel and diesel fuel. Fordyce said he is aware of the winter canola effort, praising the RMA for being responsive and having the ability to evolve. Senator Ernst (R-IA) submitted questions for the record on 45Z.
- Senator Ernst highlighted the recent commitments from Secretary Rollins to modernize the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act (AFIDA) reporting process as a much-needed step to protect American farmland from foreign adversaries. She stated that she is hopeful to build on that momentum in the upcoming Farm Bill, citing her FARMLAND Act.
- Senator Marshall and Ernst raised the role of precision agriculture and early adopters of new technologies on both soil health and productivity, with Fordyce committing to help keep up with innovation and understanding what kinds of opportunities there could be for FPAC agencies to help promote or raise awareness for such opportunities.
- Senator Grassley (R-IA) raised how program standards were loosened during the pandemic to get payments out quickly, but how, in some cases, they have never tightened back up.
- Democrats, led by Ranking Member Klobuchar (D-MN), detailed concerns on the administration’s actions, citing the role of tariffs and delayed or withdrawn grants. They framed how the direct impact on producers has been exacerbated by unstaffed or understaffed FSA offices, as well as FPAC staff reductions.
- Ranking Member Klobuchar raised how even though Congress provided $31 billion in economic and disaster assistance to provide much-needed relief for losses in 2023 and 2024, and that roughly half has been distributed, those without crop insurance or farmers with shallow losses are still waiting, with the structure of assistance as uncertain. She also cited how nearly two-thirds of Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) contracts have been withdrawn without full explanation.
OPENING STATEMENTS
Chairman John Boozman (R-AR)
It is clear Fordyce has the experience to lead the FPAC mission area, having experienced the challenges of operations amid an extremely challenging farm economy. The FPAC agencies work hand in hand with 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. 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 National Resource Conservation Service (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, with an emphasis on maximizing the efficiency of FSA programs to better enable them. If confirmed, the Committee will look to you to quickly implement improvements authorized by Congress and follow congressional intent.
Ranking Member Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)
The FPAC agencies are the federal government’s front door for producers across the country, administering programs that provide farmers with disaster recovery, the farm safety net, access to credit, and voluntary conservation programs. The financial stress from commodity prices, trade policy, and high input costs is showing up in the form of an uptick in farm loan mediations. I am concerned about some of the actions by this administration during these difficult economic conditions and that these conditions are exacerbated by unstaffed or understaffed FSA offices. What we are seeing with grants and contracts, as well as tariffs, is troubling. Nearly two-thirds of Regional Conservation Partnership Program contracts have been withdrawn without a full explanation. Congress provided $31 billion in economic and disaster assistance to provide much-needed relief for losses in 2023 and 2024. While roughly half of this funding has made its way into the hands of farmers, those without crop insurance or farmers with shallow losses are still waiting, and the structure of assistance is uncertain. During your first stint at USDA, as the FSA Administrator, you effectively reached out to a population of farmers that had never participated in FSA programs before in administering the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program. We need you to use the same creativity here so farmers who have not traditionally utilized USDA programs can access disaster assistance.
Richard Fordyce, Nominee for USDA Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation
My vision for the Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC) mission area is to deliver effective, efficient, predictable, and transparent service to farmers across the nation. At FPAC, we have a duty to serve as a steadfast ally, providing consistent support for our producers, but also modernizing the tools used to deliver these programs across the entire mission area by our amazing and dedicated staff. Disaster payments are one such critical tool, and my commitment is to align them with the goals set forth by President Trump and Congress: making them more timely, fair, and impactful within a system that supports recovery and resilience in the face of adversity. I believe in the incredible potential of public and private partnerships to drive innovation and success in agriculture. By fostering collaboration between government, private industry, and communities, we can unlock new opportunities and create solutions that benefit both producers and consumers alike. With a shared commitment to the values of integrity, transparency, and service, we can ensure that FPAC continues to be a beacon of support and progress, including programs that support conservation of vital natural resources, programs designed to respond to disasters, and tools to help manage risk and provide access to credit; all of which are vitally important to the agricultural industry. If confirmed, I commit to following Secretary Rollins’ leadership and using the experience gained through my years of varied agriculture leadership to support FSA, NRCS, and RMA that make up the FPAC mission area.
DISCUSSION
Chairman Boozman (R-AR): How do you plan to best utilize the FSA county office employees while also improving technology and communication between FSA and the RMA to provide exceptional service to producers? Fordyce: When I was the Administrator in the first administration, we implemented a lot of programs, most notably the 2018 Farm Bill. With those implementations, it often created the necessity to develop software that supports that implementation. I can safely say, and others would agree, that a lot of our technologies are woefully old, and in some cases, antiquated. There is certainly a need for modernization in the tools that are used by FSA to deliver those programs. Additionally, we could likely see some modernization in the ways that we engage with the producers we serve at FSA.
Chairman Boozman (R-AR): How can existing federal programs be expanded or modified to better support young and beginning farmers and ranchers? Fordyce: We all have an eye on the next generation, particularly that population of new or beginning farmers. We are all well aware of the capital requirements and the many challenges it takes to start a farm as they can be enormous. In some cases, we could do a better job of outreach and communication, such as making those new and beginning farmers more aware of what is available that can assist and support the launch of a new farm. This includes not only programmatic and financial support but also mentorship. We could look to expand in that area.
Chairman Boozman (R-AR): How do you plan to promote and enhance voluntary and incentive-based conservation programs like EQIP and the Wetland Reserve Program? Fordyce: A lot of it is about outreach, specifically peer-to-peer outreach. We have many producers with experience and positive outcomes with EQIP or the Wetland Reserve Program, and they can sometimes be our best advocates. We should look for ways to include more individuals who can share their stories and help promote these programs through their own experiences.
Ranking Member Klobuchar (D-MN): Will you commit to providing answers to oversight questions throughout the implementation of the OBBBA, the budget bill, and other areas? Fordyce: Absolutely, yes. When I was here in the first Trump administration as Administrator, I came to the Hill and visited both sides of the aisle, answered questions, solicited input, and would certainly commit to doing that this time if confirmed.
Ranking Member Klobuchar (D-MN): Will you commit to working with me and others, like Majority Leader Thune, on improvements to the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), including improvements the USDA currently has the authority to make? Fordyce: Absolutely. CRP is forty years old and truly a success story, and the evolution of CRP and the different practices that have come about reflect that.
Ranking Member Klobuchar (D-MN): Do you think having offices open, available, and fully staffed is important? How do you believe FPAC can meet its mission of serving farmers with these kinds of reductions of 4,100 employees? Fordyce: I will dig into the data and understand where those retirements came from and where those individuals are located. Understanding what that reduction is and looking at the data will be important. I am confident that we can deliver our mission-critical responsibilities in a very positive way.
Ranking Member Klobuchar (D-MN): How do you think the USDA can partner with academic institutions and other researchers to better inform conservation practices, with advances in data, paired with widespread adoption of precision technology? What barriers does USDA face in using data and working more closely on conservation? Fordyce: That is an area that I am very interested in and very passionate about. There is an opportunity for USDA, and the FPAC mission area more specifically, to better understand the technologies and how they can be used to create better opportunities for the farmers and ranchers we serve. There is a lot there, and I would commit that we will do what we can to learn more about it, understand it, and see what kind of partnership could exist.
Senator Hyde-Smith (R-MS): If farmers find themselves in a situation where emergency support is necessary to keep them afloat again, how willing are you to explore any and all authorities under USDA’s jurisdiction to help them? Fordyce: I would certainly be supportive of looking at what authorities we might have at USDA, but I would also welcome the opportunity to partner with Congress in understanding how USDA, and more specifically, the FPAC mission are, could work together to find some solutions going forward. It is going to be a tough go for a little while longer, I am afraid.
Senator Hyde-Smith (R-MS): Are you comfortable with and confident that there are existing authorities that can be used if this situation gets increasingly dire, such as through USDA’s long-standing Section 32 authority outside of the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) Section 5 authority? Fordyce: I am not familiar with the Section 32 authority but would certainly be more than happy to look into that and see if that would be a possible option.
Senator Tuberville (R-AL): Does my bill, introduced for the Federal Crop Insurance Board of Directors to designate one of the four seats for a producer of both livestock and crops to provide a broader perspective for the various new livestock crop insurance products that RMA is implementing, sound reasonable? Would you vote for it? Fordyce: Yes, it does, and it sounds like it makes some sense. On voting for it, I would need to understand exactly what the current makeup of the Federal Crop Insurance Board is. That said, it sounds like a good idea to me.
Senator Tuberville (R-AL): Will you support my second bill that would authorize a study on double and rotational cropping of winter canola in the Midsouth region to gather data as farmers are beginning to grow winter canola for synthetic aviation fuel and diesel fuel? Fordyce: I am aware of the winter canola effort, and I would applaud the RMA for being responsive and having the ability to evolve as things change. I would expect that they would take a look at what kinds of options might be available.
Senator Tuberville (R-AL): Can you discuss the importance of increasing guaranteed loan limits, especially as access to credit is becoming harder and that we had to provide subsidies for some farmers just to get them through the past winter and to plant another crop? Fordyce: I served as the FSA Administrator the last time the loan limits were raised, and it was certainly welcomed by the FSA. It was also welcomed by the producers that the farm loan programs serve. If it were the intent of Congress to raise those loan limits, it would be appropriate given the current costs and the entry-level expenses involved.
Senator Grassley (R-IA): Do you think there should be any limit on how large of a payment can go to a single farm operation? Do you agree that payment limits help protect small or medium-sized farmers? Fordyce: I have not thought about that specifically. Whatever Congress defines under the actively engaged provisions and associated payment limitations, we will certainly follow the letter of the law and enforce those provisions as the agencies are doing today. For payment limitations on smaller farms, the producer typically does not bump up against the payment limitations. Farmers operating larger farms with more acres a lot of times do bump up against those payment limitations.
Senator Hoeven (R-ND): Can you update us on the progress of the disaster assistance, and how the efforts on the weather-related initiatives are going? Fordyce: The only information I have is what I see in the news or the press. I have not had any conversations related to policy or policy development with FPAC. I do know, because I heard so from farmers, that the implementation of the first $10 billion was incredibly swift and seemed to be pretty seamless. I would expect that the second part of it, based on the way I have read some of the language, is likely going to be a bit more complex and complicated. I do not have any idea about the current progress, but I am confident that they are actively working on it.
Senator Hoeven (R-ND): How can we address the current challenges corn and soybean growers face in contracting their 2024 and 2025 crops? Fordyce: From a marketing and sales standpoint, I am not completely sure why that is happening, unless it is simply that the market is not in a place where producers want to move grain. However, during the first administration, when I was the administrator, we had a very open dialogue with many organizations, including commodity groups, farm groups, and conservation groups. If confirmed, I would commit to continuing that engagement and to meeting with those organizations to better understand what the issue is.
Senator Marshall (R-KS): Can you work with us to address concerns about Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) limits and off-farm income, which are affecting farmers whose primary occupation is farming but who do not meet the 75 percent income requirement due to full-time off-farm jobs? Fordyce: Yes, absolutely. The AGI limit is, in most programs, $900,000. I would be happy to work with you and your staff to better understand the issue.
Senator Marshall (R-KS): As we look at conservation programs within EQIP and RCCP, how can we focus on healthy soil, whether through precision agriculture or technology? Do you have any thoughts on how we can update these programs to really prioritize soil health? Fordyce: I am pretty passionate about improving soil health and being an adopter of technology makes sense. We are constantly learning new things about soil health, and innovation is happening very quickly in this space. I would commit to at least keeping up with that innovation and understanding what kinds of opportunities there could be for FPAC agencies to help promote or raise awareness.
Senator Marshall (R-KS): Will you commit to working to modernize conservation programs in the upcoming Farm Bill and conservation title to support early adopters who reduce chemical runoff, use less fertilizer and pesticides, and incorporate bio-stimulants to grow more with less? Fordyce: I would commit to doing that. There is a lot that has been learned, and a lot more that can be learned.
Senator Ernst (R-IA): Will you commit to making USDA’s digital modernization, both for farmers and programs like AFISA, a top priority? Fordyce: Yes. We started to work on the “one farmer, one form” concept a little bit during the first Trump administration, but we did not quite get it to the finish line in terms of modernizing acreage reporting. We do not know exactly how many farmers currently use precision agriculture on their farms, but depending on location, that percentage can be quite high. Those farmers are already sharing data with their seed suppliers, fertilizer companies, and crop insurance providers, assuming their providers can accept the data. It makes a lot of sense to get the three USDA agencies, two maybe more so than NRCS, into a position to accept that data. My hope would be that as a farmer is planting, they are simultaneously populating an acreage report throughout the planting season. That would be fantastic, and it would certainly be priority number one from a technology modernization standpoint, including for AFIDA. I was director of the Missouri Department of Agriculture, then FSA Director, and was responsible for that reporting at the state level. There are certainly better technologies available now to capture that information.
Senator Bennet (D-CO): Do you have a view on how to rebuild staffing for the FSA? Fordyce: I look forward to understanding where we may have coverage issues. Technology improvements can help bridge some of those gaps. Understanding what that red tape is and taking any opportunity we can to reduce it is good government and good management. Looking at ways to improve the FSA would be another priority I would focus on.
Senator Bennet (D-CO): How can we strengthen EQIP and CRP, and make them more responsive to our producers to ensure that they remain a reliable part of the farm safety net? Fordyce: CRP has evolved over the years, and there are over forty different CRP practices available that accomplish different goals depending on what the landowner wants to achieve. If confirmed, I would commit to continuing the conversation.