[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 122 (Wednesday, September 12, 2012)]
[House]
[Pages H5865-H5866]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                               FARM BILL

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
South Dakota (Mrs. Noem) for 5 minutes.
  Mrs. NOEM. Madam Speaker, today, I wanted to bring to the attention 
of my colleagues something that is of utmost importance to this country 
and our food supply and to this Nation's farmers and ranchers. It is 
the importance of getting a farm bill done.
  Growing up on a farm in South Dakota and then farming for years with 
my family, I certainly recognize how volatile the agriculture industry 
is. Our producers invest in seed and fertilizer, they put it in the 
dirt, and they hope that that fall that they have the opportunity to 
come back and harvest something that will provide for their family and 
provide food for this country and for this Nation.
  The crops that are grown are relied upon to fulfill the need that we 
have in

[[Page H5866]]

this country and across the world. Farming's risky, but because growing 
our food is in the interest of our national security, we provide a 
safety net that keeps our farmers on the land in good times and in bad 
times.
  As you can see from these maps that I have here with me today, we are 
suffering through one of those tough times right now. Farmers can't 
control Mother Nature. Our farmers are facing one of the worst droughts 
that we've seen in decades. You just have to talk to a veteran farmer 
today to say that they haven't seen an instance like this since 
probably the thirties where we had such widespread, long-standing 
drought that they are suffering through. It has a real impact on folks 
in rural America, and the rest of America relies on that food to feed 
their families.
  I want my colleagues to get a picture of just how important the farm 
bill is to this country and to people in the real world. While it may 
be easy to ignore the drought if you're in Washington, D.C. or in other 
parts of the country, when I go home every weekend, and when I was home 
and traveling all across our State throughout August, it was everywhere 
around me.
  Just yesterday I had the chance to sit down with a couple of 
producers from South Dakota. Brent and Barb were here from Houghton, 
South Dakota, and it was evident to me that when I visited with them 
that their concern was more for the next generation than for getting 
through a couple of tough days right now.
  They spoke of their sons, the love they have for their land, and the 
responsibility that they feel in feeding this country and making sure 
that we have a future where the United States can grow its own food to 
provide for its own people.
  They wrote me a letter about what the farm bill means to them, and I 
wanted to read part of that letter to you:

       I know you share our feelings on the importance of the 
     bill. It is not only necessary to us now, but also for our 
     three sons who want to continue our farming operation which 
     has been in our family for four generations. We are so 
     thankful and proud that they want to return to the farm and 
     we want to do all we can to provide them with the same 
     opportunities we have had. The crop insurance portion of the 
     farm bill has truly helped us in the past as we have 
     struggled with wet conditions over parts of the last 20 
     years. Because of excess moisture, there have been years when 
     we farmed less than half of our total cropland. Now, the 
     tables have turned and we are experiencing drought conditions 
     in some areas of South Dakota and we will again be relying on 
     crop insurance. It is so important to our family farming 
     operation as a business. It has allowed us to stay in 
     business through the tough years.
       The safety net this farm bill would provide is crucial to 
     not only rural farmers like us, but our State and country as 
     a whole.

  Brent and Barb and other producers across America are in town this 
week. They were asking this House to take action on a farm bill to give 
them the certainty that they need to have confidence to plant next 
year's crop. It will support both rural America but also every single 
family that's out there buying groceries today.
  Later this morning, I'm going to be joining them at a rally that's 
called the Farm Bill Now rally. And I'll be asking my colleagues to 
take action to pass a farm bill. We need to get that farm bill done to 
know what the policies are going to be in the next 5 years. It's right 
for our producers, it's right for our ranchers and farmers, it's right 
for this country, and for every family out there who's wanting to put 
food on the table that they can afford through these tough times.

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