WACO, Texas (FOX 44) – Congressman Pete Sessions and Chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture, Glenn Thompson, held a farm bill listening session today at the Extraco Events Center.

Hundreds of people in the agriculture community came together today to ask for more government funding in the new farm bill. A farm bill that some believe will be the most significant piece of legislation to impact farmers and ranchers since 2018.

According to local agricultural workers, the industry has taken a hard hit with the rise in inflation.

Texas has received a surge in population, with little to no change in the number of agricultural workers, making it difficult for the industry to thrive domestically.

Beeville, Texas rancher and farmer Matt Huie was one of many people in the industry who spoke at the session:

“My costs on my farm are up about 50% over the last three years for breaking in crisis. And I hear people talk about that around the country because of fertilizer fuel lately, chemistry and interest. Interest is up 100% in one year and we look at when we look at those numbers and we talk about what that’s going to mean when we write this farm bill, I think it’s absolutely imperative that we have more money.”

Americans are more dependent than ever on foreign grown produce to the agriculture labor shortage.

The Texas agriculture community is asking for money to invest in tools and technology to compensate for a lack of workers.