Issue Position: Agriculture

Issue Position

In addition to providing food, Rhode Island's working farmland is critical to preserving our environment and maintaining a diverse economy.

Senator Reed has worked hard to ensure that Rhode Island family farmers and their employees can remain competitive and productive. His efforts helped save local dairy farms so Rhode Islanders continue to have access to fresh and affordable dairy products.

Small, family farmers deserve help, but big corporate agribusiness does not. That is why Reed has long advocated for ending wasteful federal farm subsidies. Reed wants to save taxpayers money and reduce the deficit by ending out-dated subsidies.

Key Priorities & Accomplishments

To protect consumers and keep the nation's food supply safe from contamination, Reed helped pass the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act. This law will make the food supply safer for consumers, hold producers accountable, and protect the livelihoods of Rhode Island family farmers.
Secured federal assistance to help Rhode Island farmers recover from natural disasters and for agriculture conservation programs to help promote farming practices that are environmentally responsible.
Reed supported the FRESH Act, a pro-farmer, pro-consumer, pro-nutrition bill that aimed to protect Rhode Island's open spaces and save taxpayers money by replacing out-dated federal farm subsidies with a reformed insurance program for all American farmers.
Helped provide $3.5 million in federal funding to protect Rhode Island's local farms through the Farm and Ranchland Preservation Program and $1.9 million to help preserve 140 acres of Ferolbink Farm, an iconic coastal farm that will be protected from future development.

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