[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 102 (Wednesday, June 15, 2022)]
[House]
[Pages H5553-H5554]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        FARM BILL IMPACT SERIES

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Kansas (Mr. Mann) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. MANN. Madam Speaker, in preparation for reauthorizing the farm 
bill

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in 2023, I rise today to deliver the eleventh installment of my farm 
bill impact series, where I am highlighting various aspects of the farm 
bill that deserve Congress' awareness and support. We need robust 
biosecurity in America not only because we need to eat in order to 
survive, but also because strong American agriculture will help keep 
our country free and self-determining as a Nation.
  Manhattan, Kansas, the home of my alma mater, Kansas State 
University, is also home of the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility 
or NBAF. This state-of-the-art 700,000-square foot facility will be a 
national asset that helps protect our Nation's agriculture against the 
threat and potential impact of serious animal diseases. Experts believe 
that 75 percent of new and emerging infectious animal diseases can be 
transmitted from animals to humans. NBAF will be home to the only 
maximum biocontainment space in the country, where USDA will conduct 
comprehensive research, develop vaccines and antivirals, and explore 
enhanced diagnostic and training capabilities.
  The United States Department of Agriculture is currently working with 
the Department of Homeland Security to bring NBAF online by December 
and to begin establishing partnerships between two key sectors heavily 
invested in animal health: academia and industry. Working with 
scientists and other industry professionals, NBAF will create new 
safety and security guidelines that will be critical for the prevention 
of future pandemics. Currently, scientists are conducting this very 
important research in New York at the Plum Island Animal Disease 
Center, which is more than 60 years old. NBAF will replace this aging 
facility, create 400 local jobs for Kansans, generate over $100 million 
in total economic benefit for our State, and make Kansas the home of 
internationally recognized animal disease experts. NBAF isn't just an 
exciting development for Kansas, it also marks the future of biodefense 
research that will protect the United States and the rest of the world.

                              {time}  1045

  The 2018 farm bill contained special authorization for biosecurity 
planning and response, which helped make NBAF possible. That version of 
the farm bill explicitly mentioned the coordination of ``tactical 
science activities . . . that protect the integrity, reliability, 
sustainability, and profitability of the food and agricultural system 
of the United States against biosecurity threats from pests, diseases, 
contaminants, and disasters.'' NBAF is a concrete example of the impact 
that we can have when we authorize the farm bill in careful and 
creative ways.
  During National Agriculture Month in March, I brought House 
Agriculture Committee Republican leader GT Thompson on an ag tour of 
Kansas, where I was proud to show him NBAF. The technology, scale, and 
international significance of the facility are truly second to none. 
Once fully operational in December, NBAF won't just support and protect 
agriculture; it will protect our country and the world.
  I will be back on the floor soon to deliver another installment of my 
farm bill impact series and highlight more programs and titles within 
the bill that I believe Congress must understand and support to ensure 
that agriculture thrives in America.


                   Importance of Livestock Indemnity

  Mr. MANN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to follow up on a speech that I 
gave in March about the importance of the farm bill emergency 
assistance programs like livestock indemnity.
  Agriculture is a risky business, and Mother Nature is a tough 
business partner. Over the past couple of weeks, Kansas producers have 
been losing cattle due to extreme temperatures, and qualified producers 
will be able to recoup some of their losses through the livestock 
indemnity program.
  Just like the flooding and wildfires we saw in Natoma and the 
surrounding areas last year, this is another example of how essential 
the farm bill emergency assistance programs are to our country's food 
supply and the people who produce it.
  Emergency programs like livestock indemnity are investments in the 
future of our country, and they help ensure that America remains food 
secure and self-determining as a Nation.
  Natural disasters, diseases, and weather emergencies happen, and we 
can't afford to let them cripple the business of the men and women who 
keep us fed, fueled, and clothed. That is why emergency assistance 
programs like livestock indemnity must remain strong in the 2023 farm 
bill.

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