Tuberville Speaks to USDA Undersecretary of Agriculture Nominee

July 23, 2025 – WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama) participated in a Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry hearing to consider Mr. Richard Fordyce to be the Under Secretary of Agriculture for Farm Production and Conservation.

During the hearing, Sen. Tuberville and Mr. Fordyce discussed the Farm Board Act and Mid-South Oilseed Double Cropping Study Act-both pieces of legislation that Sen. Tuberville introduced to help Alabama farmers and livestock producers.

Sen. Tuberville and Mr. Fordyce also discussed the need to increase guaranteed loan limits to ease the burden on our poultry producers and problems Alabama continues to face with wild pigs.

TUBERVILLE: "Thank you very much. Thank you, Mr. Fordyce for being here. I grew up close to a town called Fordyce in Arkansas, home of a famous football coach years ago, Mr. Bear Bryant."

Richard Fordyce is a seasoned agricultural leader and fourth-generation Missouri farmer who's returning to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) as Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation. He previously served as Administrator of the Farm Service Agency (FSA) during the previous Trump administration.

In his new role, Fordyce will oversee three key agencies:

- Farm Service Agency (FSA) – which handles farm programs and disaster assistance

- Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) – focused on conservation and land stewardship

- Risk Management Agency (RMA) – which administers crop insurance programs

Fordyce worked directly with these agencies on his own farm, which produces soybeans, corn, and cattle in Harrison County, Missouri.

"Thanks for wanting to do this again in another fashion. Thanks for your service because it is awfully hard. [...] First of all, I wanna know if you'll help me support these bills. I just put two new bills, Ag bills, on the floor today. [...] The first addresses the Federal Crop Insurance Board of Directors. There are four seats for producers, and we want one of those seats to be for a producer of both livestock and crops to provide a different perspective for various new livestock crops insurance products RMA (Risk Management Agency) is implementing. That's my first one. Does that sound pretty good?"

FORDYCE: "Yes, Senator. It actually does. It sounds like it makes some sense. [...]"

TUBERVILLE: "Now we're from Alabama, and we can make some sense now. OK?"

FORDYCE: "So, I'm not backpedaling, Senator, but I think what I would need to do is understand exactly what the makeup is of the Federal Crop Insurance Board, but it sounds like a good idea to me."

More progressive farmers integrate livestock and crops to create a mutually beneficial system that boosts productivity, sustainability, and resilience. Livestock manure enriches soil with organic matter and nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus. Grazing animals helps incorporate crop residues and stimulate microbial activity, improving soil structure and water retention. Animals also consume crop byproducts (like stalks or cover crops), turning waste into protein and fertilizer for the next crop. This closes nutrient loops, reducing reliance on synthetic inputs and lowering costs by up to 60%. Financially this allows farmers to earn from both plant and animal products-meat, milk, eggs, wool, and crops-spreading their financial risk across seasons. Grazing animals also suppress weeds and disrupt pest cycles, reducing the need for expensive herbicides and pesticides.

ON CONDUCTING AN RMA STUDY FOR OILSEED:

TUBERVILLE: "Thank you. Thank you. The second bill would authorize a study for double and rotational cropping of winter canola in the Mid-South region. This would gather data as farmers in North Alabama and Tennessee are starting to grow winter canola for synthetic aviation fuel and diesel fuel. All these bills get complex."

FORDYCE: "I'm sure that is complex, but I am aware of the winter canola effort. And I would say that I would applaud the RMA for being responsive and having the ability to, you know, to evolve as things change. So, I would think that they would take a look at what kind of options might be available."

Winter canola is gaining traction across the Southern U.S. as a profitable and sustainable crop option. Farmers typically plant it in early fall (September), allowing the crop to overwinter and be harvested by late spring. Yields are often 20–30% higher than spring canola, and there is growing demand for renewable fuel, Southern producers-especially in Alabama, Tennessee, and Kentucky-are increasingly integrating it into double-crop rotations.

TUBERVILLE: "Thank you. And as we all know, our farmers are in bad trouble. I have a lot of friends that are huge farmers, and they don't know whether they're gonna make it through the year, much less through this crop."

ON RAISING GUARANTEED LOAN LIMITS:

TUBERVILLE: "So, access to credit is becoming harder and harder. This year was really tough. We had to come up with some subsidies for some of the farmers to get them through this past winter to get another crop. Poultry producers are facing huge challenges, steep cost of poultry houses. $3.5 million for four houses. Can you discuss the importance of increasing our guaranteed loan limits to $3.5 million because of that?"

FORDYCE: "Well, I was serving as the Administrator for the Farm Service Agency the last time the loan limits were raised. And I think it was welcomed certainly by the agency, and it was welcomed by the producers that the farm loan programs serve. And if that were the intent of Congress to raise those loan limits, I think that would be appropriate given the cost of things and the entry level costs of things."

USDA estimates that the cost of building one modern tunnel ventilated poultry house with automation can cost upwards of $600,000. - Larger houses (e.g. 40' x 500') accommodate more birds and require more materials. More birds = more feeders, drinkers, ventilation, and insulation. Automated systems for feeding, watering, etc. increases upfront costs but reduces labor long-term. Tunnel ventilation and climate control systems are essential in hot Southern climates. Steel-framed buildings with insulated panels cost more than traditional wood-framed or open-sided structures; but increases the life of the structure and decreases the maintenance costs. Land clearing, grading, drainage, and utility hookups (water, power, gas) can add $100,000+ to the cost of the farm construction depending on the terrain and location. Environmental permits, waste management plans, and engineered designs are required for integrator contracts and can cost tens of thousands of dollars to the cost – often before work on the site can even begin.

ON FERAL SWINE ERADICATION PROGRAM:

TUBERVILLE: "It's going to sky high. It's not getting any cheaper. One quick question: feral swine. We got huge problems in our state, and I know in other states. In the Big Beautiful Bill, we had $105 million for the feral swine eradication program. What's your stance on the eradication program? You think we're making progress?"

FORDYCE: "That would be tough for me to say. We do have those in Missouri as well."

TUBERVILLE: "Y'all have hogs?!"

FORDYCE: "We have, yeah. We have feral swine. We have wild hogs in Missouri. [...] Well, in Missouri, they've stopped the ability for folks to hunt them because the idea was that if they're hunting them, then there has to continue to be a supply of them, and somehow, they just keep showing up. So, I don't know, I guess, it was, maybe, is one way of looking at it."

TUBERVILLE: "Well, just let them know that us and Alabama will send you some if you need them. Because we got a way over abundance. And we're gonna send them to Senator Grassley in Iowa. He loves hogs. Thank you, Mr. Chairman."

Feral swine are a major agricultural menace across the Southern U.S., including Alabama, due to their destructive behavior, rapid reproduction, and disease risks. On crop farms feral pigs root through fields, uprooting seeds, trampling young plants, and chewing through irrigation lines. They target high-value crops like corn, peanuts, soybeans, and cotton, causing millions in annual losses-Georgia alone sees over $100,000 in damage per county. On livestock farms they can kill young calves and lambs, especially during birthing. Feral swine contaminate feed and water, and spread diseases like pseudorabies, brucellosis, and leptospirosis, which threaten both animals and humans. Nationwide, feral swine cause $1.6 billion in agricultural losses annually, including crop damage, pasture degradation, and control costs. Farmers spend enormous amounts every on trapping, fencing, and aerial hunting. Their rooting behavior leads to soil erosion, destroys pasture grasses, and encourages invasive weeds. They damage orchards and vineyards by scraping bark, breaking irrigation systems, and spreading fungal diseases. Since pigs go from little piglets to being sexually mature in just four months and sows can have two litters per year at up to 8 pigs per litter hog populations can double every four months, making control efforts a constant uphill battle.