Sen. Boozman asks Biden admin to 'ensure food security' amid supply chain disruptions
Russia's attack on Ukraine has caused food prices to soar globally
President Biden announces actions to hold Russia 'accountable' for its war on Ukraine.
Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., who serves as ranking member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, called on the Biden administration Tuesday to "ensure food security at home and around the world."
In a letter sent Tuesday to Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, Boozman warned about how Russia’s "premeditated" attacks on Ukraine will continue to affect U.S. agricultural markets.
Storage grain bin silos in a field of matured corn crop in harvest time.
Boozman asked Vilsack to delay the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) sign-up deadline. Doing so would provide farmers the opportunity to counteract "potential supply disruptions" that are a result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the senator explained.
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"This should be a top priority," the Boozman wrote.
The extension would provide "millions of acres of cropland and pasture that would have otherwise remained idle" the opportunity to be farmed, which Boozman believes is vital during this time of uncertainty.
Boozman noted that "the European Union is considering a similar approach of allowing farmers to use fallow land to grow crops, counter supply disruptions, enhance food security, and reduce inflationary pressures following the invasion of Ukraine."
Signage displaying fuel prices at a Shell gas station in San Francisco, California, U.S., on Monday, March 7, 2022. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
The war in Ukraine has caused food prices to soar globally and a concerning "disruption" to the supply of wheat, feed grains and oilseeds that "will affect food security," the letter reads.
The senator suggests the Biden administration and the Department of Agriculture focus on the increase of domestic food production as the crisis continues to unfold.
Boozman highlighted that "U.S. farmers are the most efficient in sustainably raising crops and caring for livestock, and they do so in order to feed, clothe and fuel the world."
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Additionally, as inflation continues to rise and Russia's aggression continues, the senator said, "Now is the time for the U.S. to rise to the occasion and ensure food security at home and around the world by facilitating the full utility of productive cropland and pasture across the U.S." .
President Biden speaks in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, March 8, 2022. (Oliver Contreras/Sipa/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Earlier Tuesday, President Biden announced that "Russian oil will no longer be acceptable at U.S. ports and the American people will deal another powerful blow to Putin’s war machine," in an effort to weaken Russia's economy.
USDA did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.