As an agricultural cornerstone of the country, Lubbock was visited by Congressman Steve Scalise on Thursday after he was invited by Rep. Jodey Arrington to see the impact national agriculture legislation has on West Texas.
Scalise, the minority whip of the House of Representatives who was shot during a baseball practice, helped push for Arrington’s farm bill changes, including placing a safety net on cotton.
“A big part of this trip is saying thank you to Steve Scalise for your leadership in helping us sustain our quality of life and the lifeline of our economy and agriculture,” Arrington said.
Arrington and Scalise toured Texas Tech University’s Animal and Food Science Building to discuss current research and technological developments in the meat industry.
“It was just to demonstrate to the whip that the agricultural community is more than just farmers and ranchers,” Arrington said. “It is the next generation of agribusiness leaders, it’s the scientists, the educational programs at schools like Texas Tech.”
Scalise said it was really great to visit Texas Tech and see some of the new technology being developed to move the agriculture industry to the next level.
He said he recognized the importance of the family farms, and protecting them from consolidating with larger agricultural conglomerates in the industry.
“We need to keep the family farm alive, well and here in Lubbock,” he said.
Looking ahead, Scalise said he will focus their efforts on working out trade policy, specifically focusing in on China and reducing tariffs.
“To get the USMCA agreement signed so that the new NAFTA can be even better for our farmers, for our dairy producers who were left out of the last NAFTA,” he said. “We have to keep knocking down barriers to allow our country to be not only competitive but dominant.”
The USMCA is a signed free trade agreement between Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
“We are up for that challenge and I think it was informative,” Arrington said. “They just want to make sure, A they appreciate him, but B, there are some other things to knock down for us to have the most prosperous prospect for the future of farmers and ranchers.”