Coffee County farmer Garrett Moore shared the plight of Alabama ag producers with lawmakers during a U.S. Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee meeting Feb. 5.  

Speaking to the committee during a session titled “Perspectives From the Field: Farmer and Rancher Views on the Agricultural Economy,” Moore shared his testimony of the dire need for financial relief. 

“On our farm alone, many of our expenses have almost doubled since 2018,” said Moore, the Coffee County Young Farmers Committee chairman. “Significant increase in fertilizer costs has caused tough management decisions, including forcing a decrease in our production levels. Due to extreme financial devastation in recent years, we have opted to forego repairs and replacements on equipment parts.”

Moore is a fourth-generation farmer and U.S. Marine Corps veteran who works with his father, Kevin, at Moore Family Farms. The Moores raise peanuts, cotton, corn and cattle across 1,500 acres in the Wiregrass.

U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., recognizes Moore’s issues are not isolated to south Alabama. A member of the Senate Ag Committee, Tuberville is advocating to pass a new farm bill this year. The 2018 Farm Bill expired in September 2023 and has been extended twice.

“The state of the agriculture economy is in dire straits,” Tuberville said during the hearing. “Producers in my state of Alabama are producing bumper crops, but they can’t break even, much less make a profit, due to low commodity prices, high input costs, interest rates and inflation. Our farmers need a new farm bill.”

Moore said acting now to increase reference prices will help protect the industry for future generations. 

“This testament to our farm economy clearly conveys why we are in dire need of a new farm bill in 2025,” Moore said. “The importance of improving the farm economy cannot be understated for my family’s work as American farmers. I hope to continue my family’s farm for a fifth generation, which cannot be done without increased support for our industry. Just as I served my country, I look forward to working, serving and sacrificing for the farm families of our nation.”