[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 195 (Tuesday, December 11, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7425-S7426]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                 H.R. 2

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, after months of hard fought and oftentimes 
contentious negotiations, the Senate passed the conference report on 
the 2018 farm bill, titled the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, by 
a vote of 87 to 13. This conference bill tracks closely with the bill 
passed by the Senate earlier this year and embraces the bipartisan 
tradition of the farm bill. This is well-balanced legislation that will 
provide much needed certainty to the country's struggling farmers; 
maintain food security for millions of American families; provide for 
cleaner waterways, better soils, protected open space, healthier 
forests, and the preservation of family farms; will make our drinking 
water safer; and will give rural America a much-needed economic boost.
  I thank Chairman Roberts and Ranking Member Stabenow and all of their 
staff, as well as my own staff, who have worked day and night on this 
bipartisan effort. As I know from being chairman of the committee 
during the 1990 farm bill, it is no easy task to balance the needs of 
the various regions and commodities and the sometimes conflicting 
priorities among Senators when we are working within a fixed budget.
  This farm bill makes continued improvements to the Margin Protection 
Program, MPP, after the enhancements to the program that I led in 
February of this year. The newly named Dairy Margin Coverage program 
brings the margin level up to $9.50, lowers premium costs for a farm's 
first 5 million pounds of milk, and allows overlap of this program and 
other Department of Agriculture supported insurance programs. This bill 
will also help farmers initially blocked by USDA from enrolling in MPP 
due their participation in the Livestock Gross Margin Insurance for 
Dairy. They can now retroactively sign up for the improved margin 
protection program and access the critical benefits they missed out on 
this spring. A new program to incentivize milk donation is also 
included in this bill and will allow processors and producers to 
partner with charitable organizations to donate milk and reduce the 
waste of milk dumping.
  As the father of the organic farm bill, I am pleased that the 2018 
farm bill increases the funding for the Organic Agriculture Research 
and Extension Initiative and guarantees $50 million a year in mandatory 
funding by fiscal year 2023. This will ensure baseline funding for 
future farm bill debates and further protect this critical investment 
in our local and organic food system. I must add though that I am 
concerned by one aspect of this bill that I felt was an unnecessary 
change to the Organic Foods Production Act. From the beginning of the 
farm bill process, it was clear that some agricultural groups and some 
Members of Congress did not fully comprehend the importance of the 
National Organic Standards Board, NOSB, and the role that it plays in 
maintaining the integrity of the organic seal. Since first authoring 
the Organic Foods Production Act, I have long argued that the statute 
was working well, and the many tweaks and adjustments Members sought 
could easily be addressed administratively.
  As such, I was opposed to the statutory changes sought by the House 
and Senate bills and am disappointed that two of the NOSB provisions 
related to the redundant language on voting procedures and those 
dictating the composition of the board were included in the final farm 
bill.
  While I view the NOSB provisions included in the final bill to be 
silent on the 2013 sunset policy change, I remain opposed its inclusion 
because I believe it only causes confusion in the organic market and 
unnecessarily muddies the waters on an already contentious issue within 
the organic community. With respect to the makeup of the board, the 
current statute already included a carefully crafted balance of 
perspectives and interests. I feel strongly that the voice of the 
independent organic farmer must remain a prominent part of the NOSB and 
should not be diluted or drowned out as larger organic companies seek a 
role on the board with their employees or representatives. I

[[Page S7426]]

feel very strongly that the two NOSB handler seats versus the farmer 
slots are a more appropriate avenue for such companies to be 
represented on the board. While I am disappointed that this House 
provision was included in the final farm bill conference agreement, I 
will continue to support the nomination of independent organic farmers 
to the NOSB farmer seats and the unique perspective they bring to the 
board.
  Ranking Member Stabenow must be applauded for the newly combined 
Local Agriculture Market Program, LAMP, that also secures $50 million 
by 2023 and will allow the work of local food programs to continue 
bringing fresh, local, and nutritious food to the tables of Vermonters 
and Americans everywhere. For Vermont farmers hoping to diversify and 
remain viable, this bill legalizes the growth and sale of hemp as an 
agricultural commodity and allows growers to be eligible for crop 
insurance. The compromise addresses concerns raised by criminal justice 
advocates regarding the hemp farming ban of individuals with drug-
related felony convictions, and I am glad Vermonters will more fully be 
able to take advantage of this durable and profitable crop.
  The conference agreement continues the proud tradition of providing 
nutritional assistance to our fellow Americans with the Supplemental 
Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, and wholeheartedly rejects the 
provisions included in the House bill that would have cut food access 
for millions of families. This bill continues our commitment to 
worldwide stability and productivity with programs like McGovern-Dole, 
Food for Peace, the Global Crop Diversity Trust, as well as valuable 
research to support farmers here at home and around the world. When 
people here and abroad do not have to wonder where their next meal may 
come from, children do better in school, workers are more productive, 
and our world is stronger.
  Our Nation's conservation tradition is reinforced in this bill, with 
significant funding and necessary improvements to programs like the 
Agricultural Conservation Easement Program conserving family farms, the 
Environmental Quality Incentives Program fighting nitrogen and 
phosphorus runoff, and the Conservation Reserve Program in which I was 
able to include a fix allowing Vermonters to use the Conservation 
Reserve Enhancement Program to further protect water quality where they 
were disqualified before. The worst of the House of Representative's 
forestry provisions were negotiated out of this bill to make sure we 
are protecting our forestland based on the best available science and 
expertise.
  This bipartisan farm bill provides critical economic development 
support to address the unique challenges and needs faced by our rural 
communities. The Rural Economic Area Partnership, REAP, Zone is renewed 
to continue developing our rural economy and the Northern Border 
Regional Commission, NBRC, is reauthorized and increased to $33 
million, with an additional $5 million to build capacity in eligible 
counties. This bill also expands the eligible territory for NBRC 
investment to all fourteen counties in Vermont. The Commission will 
build upon the more than $10.5 million in matching funds and $18 
million in total economic development and infrastructure projects 
invested in Vermont since 2010. The bill reauthorizes the good work of 
State Rural Development Councils through 2023 and reestablishes the 
position of Under Secretary for Rural Development that had been 
eliminated, in the 2017 USDA reorganization. I am pleased that I was 
able to reach a compromise for a 10-year reauthorization of the 
National Oilheat Research Alliance, NORA, a vital program that funds 
the development of improved and efficient oilheat technology to 
increase safety and reduce consumer costs.
  I would be here all night if I were to talk about all of the wins for 
Vermont that were included in this farm bill, so I will close by saying 
that the 2018 farm bill should be viewed as a watershed moment in much 
needed bipartisanship and compromise. It will help millions of 
Americans, farmers, families, and children and will protect our natural 
resources, economic vitality, and public health. This is why we are 
here: to help people who need it, protect our national security, and 
ensure our planet is productive and clean for this generation and for 
generations to come. This bill must pass the House of Representatives 
and be signed by the President to deliver real help to real Americans 
everywhere.

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