February 9, 2012: The Senate will convene at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday. Following any Leader remarks, the Senate will be in morning business until 11:00 a.m. with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each with the Majority controlling the first half and the Republicans controlling the final half. Following morning business, the Senate will resume consideration of the motion to proceed to S. 1813, the Surface Transportation bill. At approximately 2:00 p.m., there will be a roll call vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to S. 1813.
I have fought concentration in the livestock industry with my Packer Ban legislation, and helped pass legislation addressing mandatory price reporting by the packing industry. The increasing concentration in the agriculture industry threatens the viability of our family farmers and the livelihood of our rural communities, and I am committed to fighting its influence.
Our ranchers and farmers are responsible for producing wholesome, nutritious commodities for our nation's food supply, and deserve a fair price for their product. Increasing the price producers can receive for their goods is key to bringing more young farmers into the fold.
As we move forward with implementation of the 2008 Farm Bill, I look forward to working with ranchers and farmers to ensure that implementation guidelines provide producers with a common-sense approach to federal agriculture programs so that our producers can spend more time producing our nation's food supply and less time juggling unnecessary paperwork or waiting for overdue payments.
From my position on the Senate Appropriations Committee, and specifically the Agricultural Appropriations Subcommittee, I have the ability to ensure South Dakota gets fair representation in the appropriations process. Farm Bill programs are only as successful as the money put behind them and I will continue to fight for meaningful funding for these important programs. Working for South Dakota's rural and agricultural communities is among my top priorities here in the United States Senate.
Disaster
Farms and ranches across South Dakota and throughout the Great Plains have been ravaged by years of severe drought conditions that rival the Dust Bowl of the 1930's. As family farms fold and entire herds are sold off, out-migration continues to threaten rural America. All of this is why I have worked hard to include a structured agriculture disaster response program in the 2008 Farm Bill. I was pleased that this program would not function as a disincentive for crop insurance, and requires all producers to purchase whole farm coverage to be eligible for the program. The Supplemental Revenue Assistance Program, Livestock Indemnity Program, and Livestock Forage Program are three of the programs which stand to benefit South Dakota farmers and ranchers who suffer losses from national disasters. I will continue to work with the United States Department of Agriculture to ensure these programs function as intended.
I was extremely frustrated that the previous Administration continually failed to adequately assist producers during one of South Dakota's worst droughts in decades. The previous White House's approach to disaster assistance was simply too little, too late. I called the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and invited then-Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns to visit South Dakota to witness the severe damage that successive years of drought had caused throughout the state. Secretary Johanns came to South Dakota, but unfortunately rolled out a grossly inadequate agriculture disaster assistance program. I have also worked with Senator Thune and Representative Herseth Sandlin to open Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres for haying and grazing when necessary.
An agriculture disaster is no different from any other type of natural disaster, and comprehensive ag disaster assistance is necessary to keep farmers and ranchers in the fold. Additionally, it is crucial to ensure that dollars are distributed in as timely a manner as possible. Extensive delays in assistance are absolutely unacceptable - producers cannot wait for assistance because financial planning decisions have been based on promised money. USDA has often fumbled the ball on program implementation, and I will continue to monitor the implementation of ag disaster dollars to see that South Dakota producers are well served.
COOL
Throughout my years in Congress, I have worked tirelessly to promote Country of Origin Labeling (COOL). As the author of this program, I have seen broad bipartisan support of COOL in the United States Congress, along with strong public support. In fact, this program is not only widely supported by approximately 92 percent of our nation's consumers, but also overwhelmingly by our nation's producers. This program is not just a consumer right-to-know issue; it is a valuable marketing tool for ranchers and farmers.
Former President Bush signed mandatory COOL into law in the 2002 Farm Bill, with an implementation date of September 30, 2004. Since being signed into law, COOL fell victim to a series of backroom deals and closed door discussions. After over six years since COOL became law, I am pleased to report that the 2008 Farm Bill contained a common-sense approach to implement COOL on September 30, 2008. COOL was included in the 2008 Farm Bill to offer consumers the choice they want on the grocery store shelf, and offer our nation's farmers and ranchers an opportunity to promote their US-origin product. The previous Administration tried one last time to undermine the program to give big agri-business a break during implementation of the program. However, I will continue to fight for a common-sense, workable program to ensure that U.S. origin exclusive product is labeled as such.
As the implementation process of COOL moves forward, I will continue to work closely with United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and my colleagues on the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Committee to ensure that this program is carried out as Congress intended.
Farm Bill
While not perfect, the 2008 farm bill is a solid step for South Dakota and Great Plains agriculture. This farm bill contains a number of provisions that will strengthen rural America and influence our nation's agriculture sector, conservation practices, energy strategy, rural development initiatives, and nutrition agenda. I fought for authorization of Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) in the 2002 farm bill and I am pleased that the new 2008 farm bill contains a common-sense approach to implement the program. The previous Administration blocked implementation of this important marketing tool for too long, and these new provisions are long overdue. A structured agriculture disaster program was also included in the farm bill, which will now ensure that our farmers and ranchers won't have to play guessing games with disaster assistance. In addition, I was pleased that an effective crop insurance program and commodities safety net is continued, which will help producers face the uncertainties of skyrocketing input costs and a volatile commodities market.
Along with these victories, however, I am deeply disappointed that the final farm bill lacks meaningful payment limitations. Under the new farm bill, anyone making more than $500,000 non-farm Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) will receive no farm payments and producers making over $750,000 AGI will lose their direct payments. I believe that these provisions should have been much stronger and I was pressing for a hard payment cap of $250,000. I am also disappointed that during conference consideration of the farm bill, the "Sodsaver" provision was watered down significantly because of objections from Republicans in the House of Representatives. I support a national, comprehensive Sodsaver program, and while it was not contained in this farm bill, I will continue to fight for such a program. The bill also does not address packer ownership of livestock, as I had hoped it would. The independent farmer and rancher is continually, and in fact, increasingly faced with massive pressure from big agribusiness. I will continue to fight for sound grassroots policy that keeps our farmers and ranchers in the fold.
While our farm policy is important, federal programs are only as good as the funding put behind them. From my seat on the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee, I will continue to push for policies that benefit South Dakota and fund and deliver our federal farm programs to rural communities.
Learn more about my work for disaster assistance for farmers and ranchers.
Learn More About Disaster Assistance
| The 2002 Farm Bill | Country
of Origin Labeling (COOL) | Nutrition
Information
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