I am proud of Wyoming’s strong farming and ranching traditions. We produce some of the best agricultural products in the world and our producers are the best stewards of the land. Wyoming’s economy relies on farmers and ranchers. I am committed to making sure that Wyoming’s agricultural producers have the resources they need to make their living and that federal regulations do not needlessly burden our ranchers and farmers.
I have been working for Wyoming’s ranchers and farmers since before I came to the Senate. We scored major victories in 2008 with the passage of the new Farm Bill. This is the first Farm Bill that contains a specific livestock title to promote competition and fairness in agricultural markets. It included language to implement Country of Origin Labeling (COOL.) COOL provides consumers with important information about the source of food and allows our livestock producers, who produce the highest quality meats in the world, to remain competitive in a growing global marketplace.
I was an original cosponsor of legislation that would lift a ban on interstate commerce by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) and ensure that meat that has been state tested can be sold across state lines. We already allow meat from foreign countries to be sold in our nation based on a promise that those foreign nations’ standards are the same as ours. However, the law prevents Wyoming producers from selling their beef or lamb across state lines even when state standards are stronger than federal standards. This should change with the implementation of the Farm Bill.
I have been working for Wyoming’s ranchers and farmers since before I came to the Senate. We scored major victories in 2008 with the passage of the new Farm Bill. This is the first Farm Bill that contains a specific livestock title to promote competition and fairness in agricultural markets. It included language to implement Country of Origin Labeling (COOL.) COOL provides consumers with important information about the source of food and allows our livestock producers, who produce the highest quality meats in the world, to remain competitive in a growing global marketplace.
I was an original cosponsor of legislation that would lift a ban on interstate commerce by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) and ensure that meat that has been state tested can be sold across state lines. We already allow meat from foreign countries to be sold in our nation based on a promise that those foreign nations’ standards are the same as ours. However, the law prevents Wyoming producers from selling their beef or lamb across state lines even when state standards are stronger than federal standards. This should change with the implementation of the Farm Bill.
The 2008 Farm Bill also includes a provision that helps the nation’s investment in animal health programs by making brucellosis a high-priority research initiative in the U.S. Department of Agriculture and clarifications for the Animal Health and Disease Research Program that provides vital applied animal research to producers on the ground.
For conservation, we’ve made significant improvements to the incentives and financial assistance offered to landowners who use the Environmental Quality Incentives and Conservation Reserve programs. I am especially pleased to see that the program offers additional assistance to beginning farmers and ranchers since we all know that one of the greatest challenges to the future of agriculture is attracting young people into the industry.
A disaster trust fund is now being put in place that will allow Wyoming producers payment for grazing losses due to drought and covers losses on federal grazing allotments. A newly created Livestock Indemnity Program will also cover up to 70 percent of the fair market value of animals lost to disasters.
Wyoming’s farmers and ranchers are some of the best caretakers of the land and help preserve critical wildlife habitat. We must continue to provide voluntary incentives so Wyoming’s open space can be protected in perpetuity.
Wyoming’s livestock producers can compete in a fair market, but they are at a disadvantage now to the large meat packers. We need to amend the Packers and Stockyards Act that was passed in 1921 to prohibit the growing practices that allow meatpackers to manipulate cattle prices.
I have fought to open and keep open U.S. agricultural markets to other countries including Korea and Japan. I spoke against and helped prevent imports of potentially unsafe beef from Canada. I have also helped with Wyoming agriculture cooperatives, irrigation projects, leases, land trades and World Trade Organization anti-dumping cases. As a member of the Senate Finance Committee, I will work to ensure that the United States continues to improve its market share for Wyoming beef overseas.
I am also the sponsor of a bill the U.S. Senate passed that honors the late Senator Craig Thomas and cowboys all over the nation. The bill designates Saturday, July 25, 2009 as “National Day of the Cowboy.”
Related Records
November 2012
| Date | Title |
|---|---|
| 11/16/12 | EPA ignores requests for flexibility on fuel mandates |
August 2012
| Date | Title |
|---|---|
| 08/24/12 | Centennial Farm and Ranch Awards |
June 2012
| Date | Title |
|---|---|
| 06/21/12 | Farm bill keeps what works, cuts spending |
March 2012
December 2011
| Date | Title |
|---|---|
| 12/15/11 | Johnson, Enzi to Administration: Keep COOL strong |
May 2011
| Date | Title |
|---|---|
| 05/19/11 | Senators introduce bipartisan bill to help ranchers and farmers stay competitive |
April 2011
| Date | Title |
|---|---|
| 04/12/11 | Wolves in Wyo. - state’s court standing protected; delisting still the goal |
March 2011
| Date | Title |
|---|---|
| 03/18/11 | Enzi, Barrasso will continue legislative efforts to delist wolves |
