Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018

Floor Speech

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Ms. SMITH. Madam President, I rise today to voice my strong support for the farm bill that the Senate is currently considering.

First, I would like to thank Chairman Roberts and Ranking Member Stabenow for their strong leadership on this bipartisan bill. When I first became a Senator just months ago, I asked for a seat on the Agriculture Committee, and I immediately formed a farm bill working group in Minnesota so that I could hear from farmers and ranchers, foresters, researchers, rural community leaders, and Tribes, as well as experts on nutrition, energy, and conservation, to make sure that Minnesota's priorities were included in this farm bill.

In the last few months, in Minnesota, my staff and I have convened over 30 listening sessions around the State, and I am very grateful for the input and ideas we have gotten through the farm bill process.

The farm bill touches the lives of virtually every American, and it is vital to my State's economy. This bill will provide important stability and predictability to Minnesota farmers, ranchers, rural communities, and Indian Country, while also sustaining tens of thousands of Minnesota jobs.

The farm bill works when all three pillars of the bill work together: traditional farm programs, rural development, and nutrition. If we remove one of these pillars, the farm bill will not be able to stand.

The nutrition programs reauthorized by the Senate farm bill are of vital importance. According to the Agriculture Department, in 2016, over 41 million people, including millions of children across the country, lived in food-insecure households. This is why, when you talk to farmers and ranchers in my State, they know how important it is to support nutrition programs, and they understand, as I do, that any efforts to weaken nutrition programs will ensure that this bill does not pass.

I was proud to be able to participate in crafting the farm bill as a member of the Agriculture Committee. It was a truly bipartisan process, an example of how we can get things done when we work together.

I am very happy that this bill includes many of the provisions I worked hard on, on behalf of Minnesota. For example, the Senate bill maintains the sugar program, which is so important to Minnesota's sugar beet farmers. The sugar industry employs about 29,000 people in Minnesota and provides 142,000 jobs nationwide. Sugar is a $20 billion- a-year industry--$3.4 billion in my State alone.

The U.S. sugar policy runs at zero cost and ensures that American farmers are on an even playing field against subsidized foreign sugar. Any amendment that threatens the safety net for sugar farmers could put many farmers into bankruptcy and should be opposed.

This farm bill also expands gains made in the dairy safety net earlier this year. I pushed for these improvements to help Minnesota dairy farmers who are facing falling milk prices.

I am pleased that this farm bill will establish a new national animal disease preparedness, response, and recovery program. I heard about the need for vaccine banks and animal disease readiness at a poultry testing lab in Willmar, MN. When Minnesota was hit hard by the avian flu outbreak that resulted in the deaths of nearly 9 million turkeys and chickens, we knew this new program was needed.

I have also pushed for other Minnesota priorities that came out of the many conversations we had with Minnesotans. I worked hard to make sure this bill advances conservation programs so farmers have the opportunity to start new conservation plans and then keep them going over the long term to protect the environment and increase productivity.

I supported Ranking Member Stabenow's Timber Innovation Act. This bill encourages new and innovative uses for wood in building construction, which is important for the timber industry in my State.

I am very proud that this bill expands programs I advocated for to help beginning farmers and traditionally disadvantaged farmers. We need to make sure producers from diverse backgrounds are able to access USDA services. In my State, this means Native American farmers, Hmong, Latino, Somali farmers, and veteran farmers.

Today, as our farmers face deep uncertainty around tariffs, this bill includes bipartisan provisions to increase funding for USDA trade promotion activities. International markets are essential to the profitability of many farmers, including in Minnesota.

This bill also helps to protect Native food products from fraudulent imposters on the market. For example, some food businesses are trying to mimic or replicate unique Tribal food products, such as Minnesota wild rice, and then sell those foods on the marketplace as ``traditional'' food items.

Developing new international markets through trade promotion is something Minnesota farmers and leaders in Indian Country have been calling for, and we do it in this bill.

As ranking member of the Rural Development and Energy Subcommittee, I am very happy that this bill has a strong energy title. I introduced legislation outlining a roadmap for this title in the farm bill, and I led a bipartisan coalition of my colleagues urging the committee to fund and strengthen the many successful energy programs at USDA.

One example is the Rural Energy for America Program, which helps ag producers, local businesses, and rural communities develop energy efficiency and renewable energy projects that create jobs, cut energy bills, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Another example is the Biorefinery, Renewable Chemical, and Biobased Product Program. American farmers can provide the raw material for high-value products that replace and improve on products typically made from oil. Bioplastics, for example, are better for the planet than traditional plastics.

Another message I hear all the time as I meet with rural development leaders across Minnesota is the need for reliable internet service. Broadband is the infrastructure of the 21st-century economy. It is not just nice to have; it is necessary if we are going to build an economy that works for everyone. Whether you are a student doing your homework, a business owner selling your products, a farmer using modern precision agriculture equipment, or a person who is trying to access healthcare, you need access to broadband internet service. I am very glad this bill incorporates my Community Connect Grant Program Act to authorize and increase funding for this important effort. The bill also seeks to modernize speeds so that those living in rural communities don't get stuck with lower service quality than those living in urban areas.

The Community Connect Broadband Grant Program will create better broadband access to unserved remote and Tribal communities and help spur economic growth in rural America. It is a step forward and one of the many things that we need to do to connect Minnesotans to people across the Nation with affordable, reliable internet service.

I also hear from Minnesotans about their love of local produce and the importance of supporting regional food economies. I am happy to see that this bill creates a streamlined Local Agriculture Market Program to support developing local and regional food systems, and it increases mandatory funding for organic research, another priority of mine.

I am proud that this bill includes the Rural Health Liaison legislation, which I worked on with Senator Jones from Alabama and Senator Rounds of South Dakota. The Rural Health Liaison will encourage collaboration between USDA and Health and Human Services to address the specific healthcare needs of rural communities.

I am pleased to see the inclusion of my bill encouraging USDA to assist veterans in joining the agriculture workforce after leaving service. This is going to expand access and job opportunities for returning servicemembers.

As we consider the farm bill on the Senate floor, we also need to listen to all of our communities, including leaders in Indian Country. We have many good provisions in the bill for Native communities. In addition to addressing Tribal food fraud, this bill requires the Secretary of Agriculture to support greater inclusion of Tribal products in Federal trade promotion efforts. It also expands eligibility for forestry program funding to include the 1994 Tribal colleges so more students in Minnesota and around the country can get involved in forestry research.

I was glad to join Senator Heitkamp in supporting a new technical assistance program that will help Tribes access rural development initiatives and will authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to designate Tribal promise zones to further improve access to Federal economic development resources.

Finally, I am eager to see Native farmers in Minnesota take advantage of the improved resources for socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers in this bill. There are so many opportunities for success in agriculture, and it is important that USDA resources are available to all communities. But there is a lot left to be done. We still need to access many more USDA programs for Native Americans and empower Tribes to make sure that these programs work for Tribal communities.

We need more investment in conservation projects, and we should allow Tribes to develop their own technical standards for conservation based on their traditions and ecological knowledge.

When I first became a Senator, I asked to be a member of the Indian Affairs Committee. As the newest member of that committee, I have picked up on a couple of themes.

One is that virtually every program for Indian Country is underfunded, and, two, we have to empower Tribes to create solutions that work for their members. We need to listen to leaders in Indian Country and make sure that the farm bill works for them.

I introduced an amendment to make sure that Tribes have the authority to administer the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. This is a top priority of the Native Farm Bill Coalition.

Over 360 federally recognized Tribes participate in Tribal self- governance programs at the Indian Health Service and at the Department of the Interior. With a 30-year proven track record, Tribal self- governance is widely considered by Tribes and stakeholders as one of the most successful Federal Indian policies. Approximately 25 percent of Native Americans receive some type of Federal food assistance, and in some Tribal communities, participation is as high as 80 percent. Giving Tribes the authority to administer SNAP will allow them to meet the specific needs of their communities to fight hunger.

I am hopeful that this very important, bipartisan amendment will get proper consideration.

We need to pass this farm bill now to give the farmers and ranchers certainty.

Thank you.

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