[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 205 (Wednesday, December 18, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S7125]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



              United States-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement

  Mr. President, agriculture is the lifeblood of our economy in South 
Dakota, and our farmers and ranchers are always at the top of my 
priority list in the Senate. Thanks to national disasters, protracted 
trade disputes, and several years of low commodity prices, farmers and 
ranchers have had a tough few years.
  This spring, farmers throughout the Midwest were hit with heavy 
rainfall and flooding. By the time the soil finally dried out enough 
for planting, it was too late for many farmers to plant their normal 
crops, and many had to turn quick-growing cover crops that could be 
used for feed and grazing and to protect the soil.
  The farmers in South Dakota and other Northern States faced a 
problem. The Department of Agriculture had set November 1 as the first 
date on which farmers could harvest these cover crops for feed or use 
them for pasture without having their crop insurance indemnity reduced.
  Farmers who hayed or grazed before this date faced a reduction in 
their prevent plant indemnity payments, which are crop insurance 
payments to help them cover their income loss when the fields can't be 
planted due to flooding or other issues.
  While November 1 is a reasonable date for farmers in Southern States, 
for farmers in Northern States like South Dakota, November 1 is too 
late for harvesting thanks to killing frost and the risk of late fall 
and early winter storms. It is too late to maximize the use of cover 
crops for pasture, since a killing frost is liable to flatten cover 
crops before they are grazed.
  So, beginning in early May, I started pressing the Department of 
Agriculture to change the November 1 date. In June, the Department of 
Agriculture announced that it would move up the November 1 date for 
2019 by 2 months, to September 1--a significant amount of time that 
allowed South Dakota farmers to plant cover crops without worrying 
about whether they would be able to successfully harvest or graze them.
  A year ago this week, the President signed into law the 2018 farm 
bill, which contained nearly 20 provisions that I authored based on 
input from South Dakota farmers and ranchers. This year, I have closely 
monitored the Department of Agriculture's implementation of the bill. 
In particular, I have pressed the Department of Agriculture to 
implement the bill's improvements to the Conservation Reserve Program 
and hold CRP signups, and I am pleased the administration opened a CRP 
signup earlier this month.
  When I talk to farmers and ranchers at home in South Dakota, they 
emphasize that the most important thing Washington can do to boost our 
agriculture economy is to take action on trade agreements.
  Farmers and ranchers need access to new and expanded markets for 
their products. Just as importantly, they need certainty about what 
international markets are going to look like going forward.
  I have spent a lot of time this year pushing for Congress to approve 
the United States-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement. After months and 
months of unnecessary delay, I am pleased this agreement is now moving 
forward. I am hopeful the Senate will pass it in January so the farmers 
and ranchers can start experiencing the benefits.