Farmers, Ranchers, Foresters, and Consumers Deserve Certainty

Floor Speech

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Mr. FINSTAD. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, as a proud fourth-generation farmer raising the fifth generation, I know firsthand the importance of writing and passing a strong farm bill that is written by farmers for farmers, written by rural America for rural America.

Without farmers' hard work and dedication, we would not have the safe, affordable, nutritious food that stocks our shelves every day.

Food security is national security. Through strong farm policy, we will limit our dependence on foreign countries and maintain the most abundant and highest quality food supply in the world.

In recent years, the ag industry has faced increased volatility as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, weather-related disasters, and international conflict.

Today, the producers I represent in southern Minnesota are dealing with sky-high import costs and increased regulatory burdens, as well as a 27-percent decline in net farm income and a $30 billion ag trade deficit, creating a highly leveraged financial environment in farm country.

The farm bill provides our farmers with a roadmap of what the next 5 years of farm policy will look like, and it is critical that we act to protect our family farmers and ensure that they can pass their operations down to that next generation.

Our farmers are part of one of the most honorable professions, and as only 2 percent of the American population, we must provide farm country with the support it needs.

Chairman Thompson as well as the House Agriculture Committee has been working tirelessly to write a farm bill that meets their needs and the needs of all Americans.

I am committed to standing shoulder to shoulder with my colleagues in Congress and the ag community to pass a farm bill that will shape the future of farm policy, including protecting and strengthening crop insurance, farmers number one risk management tool; revitalizing rural America; improving voluntary, incentive-based conservation programs; and ensuring that taxpayer dollars are used responsibly.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for his leadership and the direction that he provides to the Ag Committee, and I am ready to go to work with him.

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