CAMDEN, Del.- Delaware farmers got to pitch their ideas for the next version of the federal farm bill in Kent County Monday.
U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.) met with local stakeholders at the Camden-based Delaware Farm Bureau for a roundtable brainstorming session.
They discussed the upcoming expiration of the current farm bill, also known as the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, on Sept. 30.
Sen. Carper said there is always one topic at the top of the list.
"Farmers, for as long as I can remember, have said 'don't screw up the crop insurance program, make sure that is continues to be viable and reflects the fact that farming is such a risky business"
The primary risk at play being unpredictable weather patterns, which continue to grow increasingly extreme.
Don Clifton, Director of Delaware's Farm Bureau, describes crop insurance as a lifeline that sustains many in the industry.
"If we didn't have crop insurance we wouldn't be farming today," Clifton said. "It gives you peace of mind."
Another hot topic was energy, and how to protect farmland in the age of solar power.
Clifton said there needs to be a happy medium between going green, and staying true to your roots.
"There are ways that we can ensure that farmers can participate in renewable energy while maintaining the productive value of their land," he explained. "When a solar contract may expire that land has to be able to go back into agriculture production."
He expanded on strategies for leveraging farmland for environmental benefits.
"We are very interested in positioning agriculture to take advantage of opportunities to produce renewable energy, not just through solar, but perhaps through the production of renewable fuels through feedstocks that we can grow here on our acreage."
When the current farm bill expires at the end of September, Congress is expected to pass a continuing resolution.
Sen. Carper and the farm bureau have a goal of getting a new bill passed before the end of the year.
