WASHINGTON — A group of 16 US senators drafted a bipartisan letter to the Senate Agriculture Committee to detail the importance of addressing the long-term drought conditions when finalizing the upcoming Farm Bill.

In the letter addressed to Senetors Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and John Boozman (R-Ark.), the senators explained that drought patterns have become more frequent, severe and longer due to a changing climate.

“Agriculture is the economic backbone for rural communities in our states,” the senators wrote. “However, severe, long-term drought is devastating these rural areas. During periods of droughts, our farmers and ranchers face diminishing crop and livestock outputs. These negative effects reverberate through the community, affecting not just individual producers, but the broader local economy and food system.”

The senators also pointed out that the next multi-year farm bill needs to adequately address the heightened production risk posed by a hotter, drier future, particularly in states west of the 100th meridian. The 100th meridian goes through North Dakota and runs all the way to Texas.

“Since 2000, the Western United States has experienced some of the driest conditions on record and the American Southwest, in particular, continues to suffer an unprecedented period of extreme drought,” the senators added. “These conditions have altered the landscape and have had a lasting effect on all those who rely on the land.”

The senators also urged Congress to invest in water and agricultural resilience.

“While drought conditions eased in many states this year, we cannot become complacent when our farmers and ranchers are in severe need of an appropriate drought safety net that ensures their long-term resiliency,” the letter stated.

At the end of their message the senators pointed out that farmers and ranchers need support to conserve water, improve watershed scale planning, ugrade water infrastructure, protect land from erosion and create long-term resiliency on changing landcapes.

The letter was headed by Senators Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) and Deb Fischer (R-Neb.).

Other senators to sign the letter include Mike Crapo and Jim Risch (R-Idaho); Mark Kelly (D-Ariz) and Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.); Jerry Moran (R-Kan.); John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.); Jacky Rosen and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.); Alex Padilla and Laphonza Butler (D-Calif.); Ron Wyden and Jeffrey Merkley (D-Ore.); Patty Murray (D-Wash); Ben Ray Lujan and Martin Heinrich (D-New Mexico).