Senators grilled U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack over the structure of farm safety net programs and an expected sharp increase in nutrition spending last week at a Senate Agriculture Committee farm bill hearing.

Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., ranking member of the committee, said farm programs haven't kept pace with the needs of modern agriculture and aren't responsive in the face of pandemics or geopolitical pressures. He noted that farm production costs have increased 28% as input costs remain high and interest rates have rapidly increased. 

“The current safety net does not reflect the current levels of risk taken on each year by...