Farmers deserve the stability of a new farm bill

By Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.

Minnesota’s farmers and ranchers have made our state the sixth-largest agricultural producing state and the fourth-largest exporter of agricultural commodities in the country — generating $106 billion in economic activity every year and supporting 388,000 jobs.

They produce turkey for our sandwiches, wheat for our bread, milk for our ice cream and ground beef for our hamburgers. They produce ethanol that powers our vehicles. Farmfest is our opportunity to celebrate their work and all they do to feed and fuel our state, our country, and the world, while also confronting the challenges rural Minnesota faces now and in the future.

This year, I’ve visited 47 of our rural counties. I also took part in town halls with the Minnesota Farm Bureau and the Minnesota Farmers Union. As I talked to farmers, I’ve consistently heard that one of the biggest challenges right now is uncertainty.

Our state’s producers have had to figure out how to move forward in the face of extreme weather, animal disease outbreaks and ever-changing tariff policies – and they have had to do it without the certainty of a farm bill. That’s why, as Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, I’m focused on working across party lines to pass legislation that offers stability to rural communities.

In July, the president signed a budget bill that included several provisions to strengthen the key agriculture programs like animal disease prevention, increased reference prices and crop insurance. At the same time, the bill left out a number of important measures including improvements to farm loan programs, investments in the bioeconomy and rural development, all while making significant cuts to health insurance, nutrition programs and rural hospitals. I am glad that it offers support to our farmers, but to truly give certainty to our producers, we need to pass a bipartisan farm bill that works for all of rural America.

My biggest priority for any future farm bill is building an economy that allows rural America to thrive. That includes continuing to protect and improve the farm safety net. We have to make sure that crop insurance works for all producers, including specialty crop growers. That means reducing premiums for beginning farmers and farmers who served in the military, as well as improving whole farm revenue protection to help farmers who grow a wide variety of crops and livestock.

We need to reauthorize the farm bill animal disease programs. Our state has been on the front lines of the avian flu outbreak in poultry, turkeys and dairy cattle, so we know all too well how quickly disease can decimate family farmers.

We should also expand voluntary conservation programs like the Conservation Reserve Program. For many years, I’ve worked with Republican Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., on legislation to protect native sod and incentivize smarter land use. These popular programs are beneficial for farmers and wildlife alike.

The farm bill is an opportunity to invest in small towns so that young people can continue to raise families and build businesses in rural Minnesota. That means investing in health care, child care, housing, broadband, and clean water. These aren’t extras; they’re basic infrastructure for the small towns that feed and fuel America. They’re also critical to recruiting and retaining workers in rural areas.

I’m also working to strengthen support for ethanol, sustainable aviation fuel, and the broader bio-economy. I’ve led bipartisan legislation with Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., to expand bio-based manufacturing. By creating markets here at home for our farmers, we are strengthening markets and keeping good-paying manufacturing jobs.

The current uncertainty created by across-the-board tariffs is threatening farmers and ranchers. After all, exports account for more than 20% of the value of U.S. ag production and more than one-third of Minnesota ag production.

There is no doubt that our adversaries like China have used trade to manipulate markets in ways that hurt American farmers, workers, and businesses. That’s why I support targeted tariffs. But these new tariffs aren’t targeted – they're across-the-board. They undermine access to export markets that Minnesota farmers have built and invested in.

These tariffs are causing the value of these investments to zero out while driving up the cost of equipment and other inputs. Many farmers who already operate on tight margins simply cannot absorb the costs. These on-again, off-again tariffs erode long-term trust with our trading partners and make them think, “maybe I shouldn’t get ethanol or soybeans from the United States.”

The president has now changed his tariffs about 100 times. This has created many economic hardships. I will continue to push for reupping the USMCA to resolve trade disputes in North America as well as reduced tariffs and stability with our other trading partners.

I’ve already taken action in the Senate. In April, four Senate Republicans joined Senate Democrats to pass my bill to undo President Trump’s tariffs on Canadian imports. I’ve also joined a bipartisan group of 14 senators – seven Republicans, led by Senator Grassley, and seven Democrats – to introduce a bill to reassert Congress’ authority to set tariffs. Our country’s reputation as a reliable export partner is on the line.

When I was first elected to the Senate, my number one request was to be on the agriculture committee. The reason was simple: I wanted to work on behalf of our rural communities. Now, as Ranking Member of the ag committee, I have never been more committed to working across the aisle to give farmers and ranchers the certainty they need to feed and fuel America.