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The farm bill and rural broadband are among the big priorities for the next Congress.

Chris Torres, Editor, American Agriculturist

December 4, 2020

2 Min Read
Rep. Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson (second from left) was the 2018 inductee into the Pennsylvania Livestock Hall of Fame
LEADING AG REPUBLICANS: Rep. Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson (second from left) was the 2018 inductee into the Pennsylvania Livestock Hall of Fame. Earlier this week, he was elected to lead the Republican caucus of the U.S. House Agriculture Committee.

Earlier this week, Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson was elected by the Republican Steering Committee to serve as Republican leader of the House Agriculture Committee, replacing Rep. Mike Conaway of Texas, whom he worked under as vice ranking member in the current Congress.

Thompson is a familiar face to farmers and ag leaders in Pennsylvania. His district covers a big swath of north-central Pennsylvania, just east of Erie and west of Williamsport, going south to Altoona, and he is a familiar face at many agricultural events in the state, including the Pennsylvania Farm Show and Ag Progress Days.

He’s been an advocate for forestry-related programs, especially when it comes to the farm bill, and he has been an outspoken supporter of getting whole milk back in schools.

Thompson will be leading the committee’s Republican coalition, which he says will likely have four openings for new members when the 117th Congress gets sworn in next month. He says that he’s worked with incoming committee Chairman David Scott on two previous farm bills and calls him someone he can work with. Thompson says that he intends to work across the aisle when it comes to pushing agricultural legislation.

“With very few exceptions, every bill I introduce is bipartisan," he says. "I reach across the aisle. That’s my style with committee work as well."

Thompson says that he recently spoke to Rep.-elect August Pfluger of Texas, who told him that the No. 1 requested committee assignment by incoming freshman representatives is agriculture.

Incoming representatives will have a lot to learn with work on the upcoming 2022 Farm Bill likely kicking into high gear in 2021. Thompson says that virtual listening sessions on the next farm bill have already been held in home districts and that live in-person listening sessions could be held in spring if the COVID-19 vaccine helps to reduce cases.

He also says the committee will be focused on passing mandatory livestock price reporting legislation, working to expand domestic and foreign markets, passing bills to make agriculture more “resilient” in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, and expanding rural broadband.

“It is time for full and complete connectivity in rural America," Thompson says. "We need to take a laser-focused approach to connectivity. COVID has made this apparent."

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About the Author(s)

Chris Torres

Editor, American Agriculturist

Chris Torres, editor of American Agriculturist, previously worked at Lancaster Farming, where he started in 2006 as a staff writer and later became regional editor. Torres is a seven-time winner of the Keystone Press Awards, handed out by the Pennsylvania Press Association, and he is a Pennsylvania State University graduate.

Torres says he wants American Agriculturist to be farmers' "go-to product, continuing the legacy and high standard (former American Agriculturist editor) John Vogel has set." Torres succeeds Vogel, who retired after 47 years with Farm Progress and its related publications.

"The news business is a challenging job," Torres says. "It makes you think outside your small box, and you have to formulate what the reader wants to see from the overall product. It's rewarding to see a nice product in the end."

Torres' family is based in Lebanon County, Pa. His wife grew up on a small farm in Berks County, Pa., where they raised corn, soybeans, feeder cattle and more. Torres and his wife are parents to three young boys.

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