Press ReleaseNeutral2026-04-22

ICYMI: Sterling City Rancher Outlines Big Wins for the Agriculture Community in the Working Families Tax Cuts

TaxesTradeInfrastructureAgriculture

Context

This press release from Representative August Pfluger (R-TX) was published on 2026-04-22 and titled "ICYMI: Sterling City Rancher Outlines Big Wins for the Agriculture Community in the Working Families Tax Cuts". It focuses on taxes and touches on trade policy, infrastructure.

Full Text

ICYMI: Sterling City Rancher Outlines Big Wins for the Agriculture Community in the Working Families Tax Cuts

WASHINGTON, DC — In Case You Missed It (ICYMI): John Ross Copeland is Coke-Sterling County Farm Bureau president and a fifth-generation farmer and rancher from Sterling City. He and his family raise cattle and sheep and grow crops in Coke, Sterling, Scurry, and San Saba counties. Ross recently shared in The San Angelo Standard Times how the Republican-led Working Families Tax Cuts is helping keep family ranches like his strong . Read the full piece here or by clicking on the image below. You can also read the full piece below: Agriculture is at the heart of rural communities across the United States, especially here in West Texas. Every day, farmers and ranchers take on the enormous responsibility of feeding and clothing the world, and our job is only getting harder. Today, farmers and ranchers make up less than 2% of the U.S. population. On top of a shrinking workforce, we navigate volatile markets, rising input costs, and the daily challenges of weather uncertainty. These pressures are impacting families and operations like mine in West Texas and across the nation. The numbers tell the story best. Since 2022, net farm income has fallen by 24%, a loss of roughly $48 billion, forcing many farms and ranches to shut down. Commodity crop receipts across the agriculture sector are also facing sharp declines, with corn down 21% and cotton down 27%. At the same time, ever-increasing input costs continue to drag down various operations across the nation. Total farm production expenses climbed to a record $473 billion in 2025, and farm sector debt is projected to rise to $624.7 billion in 2026. To top it all off, natural disasters such as wildfires, droughts, and floods are wiping out agricultural infrastructure and causing massive livestock and crop losses. Despite these challenges, farmers and ranchers continue to persevere, and now, meaningful support is finally coming thanks to the Working Families Tax Cuts that Congressional Republicans delivered, and President Trump signed into law last July. For starters, this critical legislation delivered historic investments to strengthen the farm safety net and protect America’s food, fuel, and fiber industry. Key programs like crop insurance, Dairy Margin Coverage, Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC), and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) received a major boost, including a $54 billion modernization of ARC and PLC to reflect market realities, and nearly $6 billion in enhanced crop insurance premium support. Over $2 billion was also invested to expand American producers' access to essential export markets. In total, Texas producers stand to save an estimated $624.4 million due to the expansion of crop insurance coverage and $5.8 billion more from expanded risk protection coverage through PLC and ARC. This legislation also addresses reference prices for major American commodities, raising them between 10% and 21% to better reflect today’s economic realities and help keep producers financially viable. Just as important, farm bill commodity provisions and risk-management programs were extended through 2031, providing agricultural producers with much-needed price certainty for their products rather than continuing the guessing game that leads farms to question the standing of their operation year after year. Disaster assistance was another critical priority. In regions like West Texas that are constantly plagued by the challenges of extreme weather, from wildfires and droughts to floods and blizzards, expanded disaster assistance programs now provide broader security for farmers and ranchers. This ensures producers have a safety net when dealing with the most unpredictable factor in their operation: the weather. Our district is home to the largest sheep and goat producers in the United States. Through this legislation, I am thankful that the Sheep Production and Marketing Grant Program received $3 million in new mandatory funding for FY2026, a significant increase over prior funding levels. This is vital for the success of sheep producers across our region and allows our operations to continue providing high-quality wool products to the world. Various other provisions in the Working Families Tax Cuts also directly assist livestock producers in maintaining the vitality of their operations. Animal agriculture health was another major priority in the legislation due to the ongoing threat of New World Screwworm. By providing $233 million annually from FY2026 through FY2030 for the USDA to carry out a new three-pronged animal health approach, this legislation helps prevent animal diseases from wreaking havoc on the livestock sector of agriculture and better protect the supply chain of livestock-related products. The federal estate tax exemption was also permanently set at $15 million per person and $30 million per married couple to protect the legacy of family farms and ranches from being sold during a generational transfer or after the owner of the operation has passed away. This protects o

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ICYMI: Sterling City Rancher Outlines Big Wins for the Agriculture Community in the Working Families Tax Cuts WASHINGTON, DC — In Case You Missed It (ICYMI): John Ross Copeland is Coke-Sterling County Farm Bureau president and a fifth-generation farmer and rancher from Sterling City. He and his family raise cattle and sheep and grow crops in Coke, Sterling, Scurry, and San Saba counties. Ross recently shared in The San Angelo Standard Times how the Republican-led Working Families Tax Cuts is helping keep family ranches like his strong . Read the full piece here or by clicking on the image below. You can also read the full piece below: Agriculture is at the heart of rural communities across the United States, especially here in West Texas. Every day, farmers and ranchers take on the enormous responsibility of feeding and clothing the world, and our job is only getting harder. Today, farmers and ranchers make up less than 2% of the U.S. population. On top of a shrinking workforce, we navigate volatile markets, rising input costs, and the daily challenges of weather uncertainty. These pressures are impacting families and operations like mine in West Texas and across the nation. The numbers tell the story best. Since 2022, net farm income has fallen by 24%, a loss of roughly $48 billion, forcing many farms and ranches to shut down. Commodity crop receipts across the agriculture sector are also facing sharp declines, with corn down 21% and cotton down 27%. At the same time, ever-increasing input costs continue to drag down various operations across the nation. Total farm production expenses climbed to a record $473 billion in 2025, and farm sector debt is projected to rise to $624.7 billion in 2026. To top it all off, natural disasters such as wildfires, droughts, and floods are wiping out agricultural infrastructure and causing massive livestock and crop losses. Despite these challenges, farmers and ranchers continue to persevere, and now, meaningful support is finally coming thanks to the Working Families Tax Cuts that Congressional Republicans delivered, and President Trump signed into law last July. For starters, this critical legislation delivered historic investments to strengthen the farm safety net and protect America’s food, fuel, and fiber industry. Key programs like crop insurance, Dairy Margin Coverage, Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC), and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) received a major boost, including a $54 billion modernization of ARC and PLC to reflect market realities, and nearly $6 billion in enhanced crop insurance premium support. Over $2 billion was also invested to expand American producers' access to essential export markets. In total, Texas producers stand to save an estimated $624.4 million due to the expansion of crop insurance coverage and $5.8 billion more from expanded risk protection coverage through PLC and ARC. This legislation also addresses reference prices for major American commodities, raising them between 10% and 21% to better reflect today’s economic realities and help keep producers financially viable. Just as important, farm bill commodity provisions and risk-management programs were extended through 2031, providing agricultural producers with much-needed price certainty for their products rather than continuing the guessing game that leads farms to question the standing of their operation year after year. Disaster assistance was another critical priority. In regions like West Texas that are constantly plagued by the challenges of extreme weather, from wildfires and droughts to floods and blizzards, expanded disaster assistance programs now provide broader security for farmers and ranchers. This ensures producers have a safety net when dealing with the most unpredictable factor in their operation: the weather. Our district is home to the largest sheep and goat producers in the United States. Through this legislation, I am thankful that the Sheep Production and Marketing Grant Program received $3 million in new mandatory funding for FY2026, a significant increase over prior funding levels. This is vital for the success of sheep producers across our region and allows our operations to continue providing high-quality wool products to the world. Various other provisions in the Working Families Tax Cuts also directly assist livestock producers in maintaining the vitality of their operations. Animal agriculture health was another major priority in the legislation due to the ongoing threat of New World Screwworm. By providing $233 million annually from FY2026 through FY2030 for the USDA to carry out a new three-pronged animal health approach, this legislation helps prevent animal diseases from wreaking havoc on the livestock sector of agriculture and better protect the supply chain of livestock-related products. The federal estate tax exemption was also permanently set at $15 million per person and $30 million per married couple to protect the legacy of family farms and ranches from being sold during a generational transfer or after the owner of the operation has passed away. This protects o