Brown Joins Bipartisan Group of Senators to Fight for Farm Bill in Potential Year-End Package

Six Months After the Senate Passed a Bipartisan Jobs Bill, The House Has Failed to Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Nearly six months after the Senate passed a five-year, bipartisan farm bill, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) joined a bipartisan group of 33 senators in urging the inclusion the Senate-passed farm bill in any end-of-year legislative package. On June 21st the Senate passed a bipartisan, five-year farm bill, the Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act, but that the House has yet to pass a comprehensive five-year bill.

“The bipartisan Senate farm bill saves $23 billion while giving our nation’s farmers the certainty they need to continue providing our nation with a safe and reliable food source” Brown said. “The farm bill affects all Americans and shouldn’t be used as a bargaining chip for partisan gamesmanship. The 2008 farm bill has expired and today Ohioans who depend on USDA services are left in limbo. This bipartisan, broadly-supported farm bill should be included in an end-of-year package and passed into law this year.”  

One in seven Ohio jobs is related to the food and agriculture industry. Brown authored provisions in the Senate-passed farm bill that would save taxpayers $23 billion, while creating jobs and boosting rural development. Brown, who serves as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Jobs, Rural Economic Growth and Energy Innovation, is the first Ohioan on the Senate Agriculture Committee in more than 40 years. Here are some provisions Brown inserted in the farm bill.

In addition to Brown, the following Senators signed the letter U.S. Sens. Max Baucus (D-MT), John Hoeven (R-ND) Jon Tester (D-MT), Pat Leahy (D-VT), Richard Lugar (R-IN.), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), John Kerry (D-MA), Tom Harkin (D-IA), Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), Kent Conrad (D-ND), Herb Kohl (D.-WI), Joe Lieberman (ID-CT), Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Ron Wyden (D-OR.), Tim Johnson (D-SD), Susan Collins (R-ME), Ben Nelson (D-FL), John Thune (R-SD), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Robert Casey Jr. (D-PA), Claire McCaskill (D-MO), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Mark Udall (D-CO), Tom Udall (D-NM), Mike Johanns (R-NE), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Mark Begich (D-AK), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Al Franken (D-MN), Christopher Coons (D-DE), Dan Coats (R-IN), and Jerry Moran (R-KS).

 

Full text of the letter to Senate leadership is below.

 

December 13, 2012

 

 

The Honorable Harry Reid

Senate Majority Leader

S-221, The Capitol

Washington, DC 20510

 

The Honorable Mitch McConnell

Senate Minority Leader

S-230, The Capitol

Washington, DC 20510

 

Dear Majority Leader Reid and Minority Leader McConnell:

 

Last June, the Senate came together and passed a strong bipartisan farm bill that would help producers manage risk, create jobs and reduce the deficit and debt.  It was not an easy task, but members from both sides of the aisle came together and passed farm policies that cut the deficit by over $23 billion while making smart, common-sense reforms that ensure the farm safety net works for both the American taxpayer and the American agricultural producer.

 

Our country’s farmers and ranchers produce the highest quality, lowest cost food supply in the world, and they need strong farm policies to ensure they can continue providing our nation with a safe and reliable food source.  Thankfully, the 2008 farm bill coverage for most programs extends throughout the 2012 crop year.  But as the 2012 harvest rolls to an end, farmers and ranchers are already working with their bankers to plan for the 2013 crop.  In many parts of the United States, they have already seeded their 2013 winter wheat. 

 

Agriculture supports over 16 million jobs in our country and is the heart of many rural economies across the United States.  In order for our farmers and ranchers to plan for their future, it is imperative that we provide them the certainty of a full five-year farm bill.  While our farmers produce a domestic supply of food, fiber and fuel, American agricultural products also contribute to a trade surplus.  Just this year, the U.S Department of Agriculture reported that agriculture exports for fiscal year 2013 are projected to reach a record of $143 billion in 2013, resulting in an agricultural trade surplus of over $26 billion. 

 

While the increase in agriculture exports is welcomed news, our producers are still struggling from the extreme drought, spring deep freeze, and other weather disasters across the country this past season.  To date, 2,196 counties are currently under primary USDA drought disaster designations.  As the historic drought conditions persist, farmers could suffer from the impacts of the drought in the 2013 crop year as well.  Congress has serious challenges to meet before the end of the year; including the farm bill which can help us cut the debt and create jobs.

 

With each passing day, the difficulty of enacting a farm bill before the end of this Congress grows.   Congress must do the responsible thing and pass a full, five year reform farm bill.  Accordingly, we urge you to consider folding in the Senate’s strong bipartisan bill in any end-of-year package.

 

American farmers and ranchers put affordable food on our tables, bring in dollars from around the globe with their world-class products, and continue in our strong agricultural tradition.  These are some of the hardest workers in the United States, and it is our turn to show them Washington is fighting for rural America. 

 

 

Sincerely,

 

 

 

 

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