Meeting is the latest in series of direct conversations with Arizona farmers, ranchers, and agricultural industry leaders
WASHINGTON – Arizona senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema met with the Arizona Farm Bureau to discuss their needs and goals for the 2023 Farm Bill. The Farm Bill is reauthorized every five years, and Sinema has made clear that she intends to secure multiple priorities for Arizona farmers, ranchers, and producers through bipartisan negotiations on the upcoming legislation.
“Between record drought conditions and workforce shortages, our agriculture community faces tough challenges that require real solutions. I’ll keep working with Arizona producers and agricultural leaders like the Farm Bureau to deliver lasting results that help our state thrive,” said Sinema.
Sinema’s meeting with the Arizona Farm Bureau represents the latest in a series of direct conversations with farmers, ranchers, and agricultural leaders about the challenges and opportunities facing their industry – including Arizona’s water supply and future, the current border and immigration system, and labor shortages.
Last year, the Arizona Farm Bureau presented Sinema with the “Friend of the Farm Bureau” award – a distinction she has now earned three times for her work supporting Arizona’s agriculture and, most recently, securing historic investments for drought resilience.
In response to the worsening drought conditions facing farmers in the American West, Sinema launched a Water Advisory Council at the Hoover Dam last year – an assembly of Arizona water experts and key stakeholders from diverse backgrounds – to develop solutions securing the region’s water future.
Between Sinema’s bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs law and the Inflation Reduction law she shaped, the Senator has secured more than $12 billion in drought relief and Western water funding. Sinema has regularly met with farmers, stakeholders, irrigation groups, tribal leaders, and her Water Advisory Council to ensure the funding is implemented efficiently and effectively.
In December, Sinema urged the U.S. Department of Agriculture to prioritize drought relief and conservation efforts aimed at combating the decades-long megadrought afflicting the American West and support farm and ranch families across the region.