Agriculture and the 2008 Farm Bill
Agriculture is the largest sector of our economy in North Dakota. As an industry, agriculture employs about one in every five North Dakotans, and more than a quarter of rural North Dakotans. It also provides our state with a unique identity in which one is never far from the land.
The success of our farmers and ranchers in North Dakota can be attributed to their hard work and ingenuity. However, a solid federal farm policy is crucial for our agriculture producers to overcome trade advantages held by our global competitors, and help farmers and ranchers maintain their operations through market swings and natural disasters.
As a senior member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, I worked closely with Chairman Tom Harkin of Iowa and Ranking Member Saxby Chambliss of Georgia to craft the 2008 Farm Bill. Really, I started working with North Dakota farm and business leaders in 2005 with my National Agriculture Policy Conference in Fargo.
I'm proud to say that we have a Farm Bill that is a win for every citizen of our state. It includes key provisions for North Dakota farm and ranch families, including disaster assistance, an enhanced farm safety net, and provisions to encourage the production of renewable sources of energy. This legislation also helps ensure the U.S. continues to benefit from the world's most abundant, affordable and safe food supply. Finally, the 2008 Farm Bill is fiscally responsible, ensuring that our tax dollars are spent wisely in addressing key public priorities. Click here to read more details.
This is an overview of the 2008 Farm Bill and how it benefits our farmers, ranchers, consumers, main street businesses, and rural communities. It also contains materials I used every step of the way to get the best possible Farm Bill for North Dakota.
--Senator Kent Conrad
An Advocate for Agriculture
Senator Conrad is one of the most senior Members of the Senate Committee
on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. This leadership position, coupled with his roles as Chairman
of the Budget Committee and third-ranking member of the powerful Finance
Committee, solidify Senator Conrad's position as a leading advocate
for American farmers and ranchers on a wide range of agricultural, trade,
tax, and budget issues. Senator Conrad is fighting for North Dakota
farmers and ranchers by:
The 2008 Farm Bill: A Win for North Dakota and the Nation
As one of the key negotiators of the 2008 Farm Bill, Senator Conrad helped bring home a win for North Dakota's famers, ranchers, consumers, main street businesses, and rural communities. The 2008 Farm Bill builds off the successes of the 2002 Farm Bill by:
- Including a new disaster assistance program.
- Improving the farm safety net.
- Providing new incentives to help North Dakota farmers and ranchers produce our energy.
- Enhancing conservation programs.
- Helping those who are struggling to put food on the table.
In addition, the 2008 Farm Bill contains changes to the Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) program that will finally allow the programs to be implemented, helping North Dakota ranchers market their livestock and products as U.S. grown. It also allows the interstate shipment of state inspected meat, providing a new economic opportunity for small North Dakota butchers and meat plants by allowing them to market their products in interstate commerce.
The 2008 Farm Bill also includes $50 million for Senator Conrad's signature hunting and conservation initiative, "Open Fields," which will increase access to private lands for hunting, fishing, and other outdoor recreational activities.
Greater detail on what the Farm Bill means to every American can be found here.
For additional information about the Farm Bill, click here.
Spring 2009: The Case for Disaster Assistance
Record amounts of snowfall coupled with extensive spring flooding took a toll on North Dakota farmers and ranchers in the spring of 2009. North Dakota ranch families were particularly hard hit as nearly 100,000 animals perished as the result of these adverse weather conditions ��� resulting in the loss of millions of dollars to the state's ranchers. Two million acres were prevented from being planted.
Senator Conrad was in close contact with Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Undersecretary Jim Miller throughout this period, impressing upon them the importance of disaster programs like the Livestock Indemnity Program to North Dakota farmers and ranchers. Senator Conrad invited Undersecretary Miller to accompany him to North Dakota in the spring to see first hand how North Dakota's agriculture producers were in need of timely disaster assistance.
Losses like these are why Senator Conrad fought to include a standing disaster program in the 2008 Farm Bill. Programs such as the Livestock Indemnity Program will give producers the assistance they need to bounce back from calamitous weather-related losses. |
