[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 102 (Tuesday, June 18, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3632-S3633]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              AGRICULTURE

  Mr. THUNE. Madam President, our economy is thriving. Republican 
economic policies, particularly the historic tax reform legislation 
that we passed at the end of 2017, have helped to produce economic 
growth, higher wages, and better opportunities for workers.
  Unfortunately, our Nation's agriculture economy is trailing behind 
the economy as a whole. A combination of natural disasters, low 
commodity prices, and protracted trade disputes have left farmers and 
ranchers and rural businesses struggling. Although

[[Page S3633]]

2019 crop prices have improved, millions of acres of cropland will go 
unplanted and leave many farmers with no crops to market this year.
  Farmers and ranchers have a tough job. Feeding our Nation and the 
world is tough, backbreaking work. Farmers and ranchers put in long 
days that start before the Sun rises and often end long after the Sun 
sets. Yet, no matter how hard they work, all of their labor can be 
undone by one devastating storm or flood. For most Americans, a bad 
storm might mean a wet or a delayed commute. For farmers and ranchers, 
it can literally mean the loss of substantial parts of their 
livelihoods.
  I am proud to represent South Dakota's hard-working farmers and 
ranchers in the Senate, and addressing their needs is one of my biggest 
priorities here in Washington. Right now, I am working on several 
fronts to expand economic opportunity for farmers and ranchers and help 
them access the support they need.
  I recently requested a meeting with the Department of Agriculture to 
discuss cover crop harvest flexibility on prevent plant acres, Market 
Facilitation Program payments, and Conservation Reserve Program 
signups. Last Thursday, the Deputy Agriculture Secretary--the second 
highest ranking official at the Department of Agriculture--and the USDA 
Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation came to my office 
to meet with me on these issues.
  One important topic of discussion was of moving up the November 1 
date for haying or grazing cover crops planted on prevented plant 
acres. South Dakota's farmers and ranchers are currently facing the 
fallout from severe winter storms, heavy rainfall, bomb cyclones, and 
spring flooding. Planting is behind schedule, and some farmers' fields 
are so flooded that they won't be able to plant at all this year. The 
situation is similar throughout the entire Midwest. As a result, many 
farmers are thinking about planting quick-growing cover crops on their 
prevent plant acres for feed and grazing, once their fields finally dry 
out, in order to protect the soil from erosion.
  Yet there is a problem. Right now, the Department of Agriculture 
doesn't allow farmers to harvest or graze cover crops on prevent plant 
acres or to use them for pasture until November 1. Farmers who hay or 
graze before this date face a reduction in their prevent plant 
payments, which is crop insurance to help them cover their income 
losses when fields can't be planted due to flooding or other issues. 
November 1 is generally a pretty reasonable date for farmers in 
Southern States, but in Northern States like South Dakota, November 1 
is too late for harvesting thanks to the risk of snow and other late 
fall or early winter storms.
  It is also too late to maximize the use of cover crops for pasture 
since the ground can freeze before cover crops are fully grazed. Due to 
last year's severe and lengthy winter, feed supplies have disappeared 
and have left no reserves. Corn stalks, which are a source of grazing 
and bedding, will be in short supply this year, which will result in 
severe feed shortages and a need for additional roughage. That is why I 
have been pressing the Department of Agriculture to move this date up 
for farmers in the Northern States. Cover crops are a win-win situation 
and can reduce feed shortages for many livestock producers. They help 
the environment by preventing soil erosion, which can pollute streams 
and rivers and worsen flooding, and they benefit farmers by improving 
soil health, which improves future crop yields.
  It is important that we don't discourage farmers from planting cover 
crops by insisting on the November 1 harvest date, and I emphasized 
that point to the Deputy Secretary and the Under Secretary. I know the 
Department of Agriculture is looking at this issue right now, and I 
will continue to encourage the Department to reach a decision that 
addresses the reality that is faced by northern farmers.
  Another subject I raised at the meeting last week was of the 
Conservation Reserve Program signups. All farmers are familiar with the 
Conservation Reserve Program, or CRP, as we refer to it, which provides 
incentives for farmers to take environmentally sensitive land out of 
production for 10 to 15 years.
  The Conservation Reserve Program helps the environment by improving 
soil health and water quality and by providing habitat for wildlife, 
including endangered and threatened species. It also helps farmers by 
reducing their crop insurance costs and providing them with an annual 
payment for the land they have taken out of production.
  I have spent years pushing for an increase in the Conservation 
Reserve Program's acreage cap, and we finally got a substantial 
increase in last year's farm bill. Yet the Department of Agriculture 
needs to expedite both general and continuous CRP signups to allow 
farmers to take full advantage of the cap increase. Taking millions of 
acres of land out of crop production in the next year could have a big 
impact on the farm economy by driving up commodity prices, which will 
boost farms' incomes. In order for this to happen, we need to make sure 
that farmers can get their less productive land enrolled in the 
Conservation Reserve Program and out of crop production by next year. 
That is why I have been urging the Department of Agriculture to make 
sure farmers can sign up in a timely manner.
  I also urged the Department to expedite signups for the Soil Health 
and Income Protection Program. I introduced the Soil Health and Income 
Protection Program, which became law as part of last year's farm bill, 
in order to address the concerns of farmers who were interested in the 
Conservation Reserve Program but didn't want to take portions of their 
land out of production for a decade or more. The Soil Health and Income 
Protection Program, or SHIPP, provides a new, short-term option for 
farmers that will allow them to take their worst performing cropland 
out of production for 3 to 5 years instead of the 10 to 15 years that 
is required by the CRP's rules. Like the CRP, it will protect our 
environment while it will improve the bottom line for farmers. The 
sooner we get this program implemented, the sooner farmers and the 
environment will see the benefits.

  I have also been pressing the USDA to issue guidelines for the second 
round of Market Facilitation Program payments, and I emphasized this 
point again at last Thursday's meeting. While I know our farmers would 
rather receive a check from the marketplace than from the government, 
we have safety net programs in place to help in exactly the kinds of 
situations our farmers find themselves in today.
  I continue to press the administration on when the government will 
wrap up negotiations on the various trade deals that are under 
consideration. I strongly support the administration's goal of 
strengthening market access for our Nation's farmers and ranchers, and 
we have made real progress in those negotiations. Now it is time to 
push for a conclusion to these deals.
  In addition to increased market access, farmers and ranchers need 
certainty about what international markets will look like. I am also 
pushing for the congressional consideration of one already concluded 
trade agreement--the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement--in the near 
future. This agreement will preserve and expand farmers' and ranchers' 
market access to Canada and Mexico, and Congress should take it up and 
pass it as soon as possible.
  To all of South Dakota's farmers and ranchers, I know you all have 
had a very tough few years. I am working hard here in Washington to do 
whatever I can to support you, and I will keep fighting every day to 
get our agriculture economy thriving again.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. MENENDEZ. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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