On Wednesday, Arizona farmers and ranchers met with Sen. Kyrsten Sinema in Pinal County to discuss issues they are hoping will be addressed in the next farm bill that Congress passes.
The bill, typically revised and reauthorized every five years, governs a variety of agricultural and food programs.
The current bill passed in 2018 is set to expire in September 2023.
Casey Dugan, who owns Desperado Dairy with his wife Andrea, gave Sinema a tour and hosted a roundtable at their farm in Casa Grande.
Dugan, a third-generation dairy farmer, told ABC15 he hoped the bill would help provide more stability for the industry as costs continue to rise and water gets more scarce.
"It's scary, because you don't know if you're gonna be in business, year by year, if you're gonna be able to have enough feed to feed your cows," he said.
The group also discussed the ongoing drought and water cuts that have disproportionately affected Pinal County farmers due to low priority rights to Colorado River water.
"Our economic growth and prosperity depends on strengthening our state's water supply," Sinema told the group.
