Feenstra

Historically, Congress would pass a Farm Bill every 5 years with bipartisan support. Unfortunately, we are now nearing a decade since the last Farm Bill and Iowa farmers need Congress to act now more than ever.

The Farm Bill strengthens American agriculture, protects our farmers, and supports rural communities. These priorities are so important that House Republicans passed many Farm Bill provisions in the Working Families Tax Cuts. We have strengthened crop insurance, increased reference prices for corn and soybeans, and passed my legislation to lower the cost of crop insurance for young and beginning farmers. Additionally, we fully funded programs to protect against foreign animal disease outbreaks, keeping our livestock healthy and our economy strong.

However, the full Farm Bill is still needed to confront the challenges farmers and producers face by addressing the needs of our rural communities, restoring regulatory certainty, and promoting agricultural research and innovation. I am proud to say that the House Farm Bill includes more than fifteen bills that I have helped lead, as the result of years of listening to the needs of farmers, rural communities, and working families in Iowa.

This Farm Bill protects American farm ownership by including my FARMLAND Act. Our farmland is one of the nation’s most precious resources, and we must ensure it remains in the hands of American farmers, not foreign adversaries. For too long, Iowa farmers have worried that foreign entities could continue purchasing land with little oversight or accountability. My FARMLAND Act strengthens reporting requirements, increases transparency, and codifies key security measures already being implemented in the USDA’s Farm Security Action Plan. Food security is national security. By closing loopholes and strengthening oversight, we are ensuring Iowa farmland stays in the hands of the next generation of farmers.

We also work to expand markets for farmers and producers to allow homegrown Iowa products to make it to dinner plates all over the world. Iowa farmers produce the highest quality beef, pork, turkey, chicken, corn, and soybeans in the world. That is why I led the FRIDGE Act, which upgrades insufficient infrastructure capabilities, like cold storage, at our ports and export facilities nationwide. Stronger infrastructure reduces spoilage, improves efficiency, and helps open new markets for our producers.

I also helped to double the funding for the Market Access Program (MAP) and the Foreign Market Development Program (FMD), giving Iowa producers greater access to foreign markets and the tools they need to stay competitive. In addition, my SAFE Act would make it so that we can negotiate comprehensive agreements with our trading partners and ensure that a disease outbreak in another part of the country does not impact Iowa’s ability to produce and export our agricultural goods. By prioritizing farm biosecurity and negotiating trade agreements that work with Iowa farmers, not against them, we protect our state’s agricultural exports and prevent devastating trade disruptions.

The future of agriculture depends on cutting edge research, innovation, and preparing the next generation of farmers for success. That is why we included several of my research priorities in the Farm Bill. The Future Farmers Act prioritizes teaching agriculture science by continuing National Institute of Food and Agriculture grants and fellowships for food and education. The ACE Agriculture Act supports advanced research through AgARDA to help producers address extreme weather, rising input costs, and foreign animal disease. Finally, the Genome to Phenome Initiative ensures continued investment in land grant universities like Iowa State, keeping America at the forefront of crops and livestock genetics. By passing a Farm Bill that invests in agricultural research, we’re ensuring our farmers have the tools to keep America the agricultural leader that feeds and fuels the world.

This Farm Bill also makes farmer safety a top priority. Farmers face pressures that can disrupt their entire livelihood, from unpredictable weather to volatile markets, challenges many Americans never see. That is why I am proud to include the Farmers First Act to fully fund the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network, ensuring producers have the support and healthcare they deserve in times of crisis.

Additionally, tractor rollovers are tragically the leading cause of on farm deaths. I was able to get an amendment to the Farm Bill passed with unanimous support to include my Roll Over Prevention and Safety Act to help farmers retrofit older tractors with proven lifesaving rollover protection systems. This will save lives and provide peace of mind for farmers and their families.

Lastly, strong farms need strong rural communities. The Farm Bill supports infrastructure by including policies like my Middle Mile for Rural America Act and the Rural Broadband Modernization Access Act. These policies will expand high speed internet access to homes, farms, and businesses and close the digital divide across the country.

This Farm Bill reflects the conversations I have had across Iowa’s Fourth District, from kitchen tables to co-ops and livestock barns. Farmers do not have the luxury of waiting on Washington. They need certainty, stability, and opportunity. I will continue working to get this Farm Bill across the finish line and deliver the tools Iowa farmers need to feed and fuel the world.