[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 28 (Tuesday, February 11, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S994-S995]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 36--SUPPORTING THE FARMERS BILL OF RIGHTS

  Mr. BOOKER (for himself and Mr. Merkley) submitted the following 
concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 
Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry:

                            S. Con. Res. 36

       Whereas the Center for American Progress reported mergers 
     and acquisitions have increased corporate concentration 
     across agricultural markets, including monopolizing 85 
     percent market share of the corn seed market through the 4 
     largest firms in the seed sector;
       Whereas according to the Open Markets Institute, the 
     excessive concentration in the poultry industry has resulted 
     in half of chicken farmers working in regions dominated by 
     only 1 or 2 processing monopolies, leaving them with little, 
     if any, bargaining power for better contracts or growing 
     terms;
       Whereas the Organization for Competitive Markets reported 
     cattle prices paid to farmers from 2013 to 2016 dropped by 13 
     percent, while during the same period prices paid for beef by 
     consumers at the grocery store increased by 4 percent, 
     leading them to conclude that the prices paid to farmers and 
     by consumers are not the result of a fair and just market;
       Whereas corporate concentration and abusive practices in 
     America's food and farm sector are at detrimental highs, 
     harming consumers, rural communities and family farmers and 
     ranchers, including historically underserved farmers and 
     ranchers, by--
       (1) diminishing the availability of seed choice;
       (2) limiting the accessibility of domestic farming lands;
       (3) increasing food prices and market manipulation; and
       (4) hindering access to traditional foodways and 
     agricultural practices;

       Whereas according to the American Farm Bureau Federation, 
     farm loan delinquencies are at a 6-year high and have 
     increased over the past 24 quarters;
       Whereas increasing farm debt, decreasing incomes, and 
     deteriorating overall conditions for family farmers and 
     ranchers have caused farm foreclosures and chapter 12 
     bankruptcies to steadily increase over the past year;
       Whereas, according to the 2019 Intergovernmental Panel on 
     Climate Change Special Report, agriculture, forestry, and 
     other land use activities accounted for 23 percent of net 
     global anthropogenic emissions contributing to human-induced 
     climate change, which is resulting in the ongoing 
     deterioration of food systems, including irreversible impacts 
     to the traditional farming practices and foodways of 
     indigenous peoples and their lands;
       Whereas, according to the Midwest Center for Investigative 
     Reporting, the foreign acquisition of and increasing 
     investments in American farmlands and agribusiness presents a 
     risk to food system security and contributes to increasing 
     prices of the country's farmland beyond the financial ability 
     of local residents to purchase domestic farm land; and
       Whereas monopolization and an increase of large 
     corporations and foreign interests in America's farming 
     sector, combined with a changing climate, creates an 
     unprecedented negative impact on the regional economic 
     strength and security of rural and Tribal communities: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 
     concurring),

     SECTION 1. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

       That--
       (1) the Congress recognizes the many contributions that 
     family farmers and ranchers, including historically 
     underserved farmers and ranchers, have made to America's 
     agricultural industry, local food production, food 
     sovereignty, rich variety of the country's abundant food 
     supply, and traditional and cultural agricultural practices; 
     and
       (2) it is the sense of the Congress that the Federal 
     Government should encourage support for family farmers and 
     ranchers, in rural communities and on indigenous lands, and 
     ensure access to open and fair agricultural markets in the 
     United States, by introducing the Farmers Bill of Rights.

     SEC. 2. FARMERS BILL OF RIGHTS.

       The Farmer's Bill of Rights is as follows:
       (1) Right to fair, open markets.--There must be a 
     competitive open marketplace to buy seeds, fertilizer, and 
     other goods, and to sell produce, livestock, and meat for all 
     people. It has become nearly impossible for independent 
     farmers, processors, seed suppliers, mechanics, and other 
     rural businesses to compete with multinational monopolies. 
     Farmers need strong antitrust safeguards.
       (2) Right to feed their community.--Multinational 
     corporations have taken control of the country's food system 
     by shutting out independent processing and distribution 
     businesses, consequentially locking farmers out of their 
     local markets and denying domestic consumers local, regional, 
     and culturally traditional foods. In the United States, 
     Native Americans suffer from the highest rates of food 
     insecurity with African

[[Page S995]]

     Americans and Hispanic communities more food insecure than 
     the national average, which could be remedied through 
     investment in local food systems, greater regulatory 
     flexibility, and Tribal self-governance programs.
       (3) Right to fair capital.--With the loss of community and 
     regional banks, coupled with the extraction of wealth from 
     rural communities by large corporations, farmers and local 
     businesses cannot access the capital necessary to operate. 
     Congress must ensure that all farmers, regardless of 
     background, can access the credit and capital they need. This 
     includes Native American producers and Tribal agricultural 
     enterprises that often must contract with Federal agencies 
     for resources, and African-American farmers who have endured 
     historical discrimination accessing farm credit.
       (4) Right to protect natural resources.--If large 
     corporations want to purchase land and operate megafarms, 
     they have a duty to protect the Earth's soil, water, and 
     natural resources, as rural and indigenous farmers have for 
     generations, including the protection of acequias that 
     sustain accessibility to water, local agriculture, and 
     traditional irrigation practices. Corporate megafarms have a 
     duty to support conservation by following reasonable 
     standards for aquifer use, manure storage, and other land-use 
     guidelines. Preserving land-based agricultural resources is 
     vital to beginning to mitigate the impacts of climate change 
     and preserve natural resources for both the tradition of 
     diversified rural family farming and the cultural 
     sustainability of indigenous agricultural communities.
       (5) Right to local land control, property rights, and 
     protection of tribal lands and sovereignty.--Counties and 
     other local governments should have the ability to pass and 
     enforce ordinances regulating the size, placement, and scope 
     of megafarms to protect the value of rural family farmers' 
     land and the surrounding environment. African-American 
     farmers and other historically underserved farmers and 
     ranchers should retain their land ownership and rights. 
     Tribal Governments are sovereign nations with the inherent 
     right to independently control their lands through self-
     governance programs to safeguard traditional foods and 
     medicines for their citizens' wellbeing and preservation of 
     ceremonial practices of American Indian and Alaska Natives, 
     including the expansion of historically diminished indigenous 
     hunting, fishing, and gathering rights.
       (6) Right to food security.--Foreign ownership hurts family 
     farmers and ranchers and raises national security concerns. A 
     strict cap on foreign ownership of farms, farmland, and 
     agribusinesses should be set to ensure that all American 
     farmers can access domestic farm land.
       (7) Right to repair.--Huge corporations and their Wall 
     Street backers have gone so far as to prevent local 
     businesses and farmers from fixing their own tractors and 
     equipment, forcing them to pay corporate technicians to make 
     all repairs. A farmer should have the right to fix their own 
     equipment as they see fit.
       (8) Right to transparent labeling.--A farmer should be able 
     to label their food accurately and transparently--including 
     strong country of origin labeling standards.
       (9) Right to rural opportunity.--Monopolies have hollowed 
     out local economies and taken away the traditional pathways 
     of opportunity for free enterprise that helped communities 
     thrive. No farmer should have to choose between continuing to 
     operate their farm and getting access to good schools and 
     health care. No farmer should have to choose between farming 
     and providing a future for their children. Farmers need the 
     right to basic services in rural communities.
       (10) Right to preserve a diverse community of farmers and 
     farming practices.--For too long, historically underserved 
     farmers and ranchers have lacked a voice on local and 
     national agricultural policies and development. Congress must 
     ensure that historically underserved farmers and ranchers 
     have fair opportunities in the market, a seat at the table in 
     policy development, access to culturally relevant training 
     and technical assistance, and equal treatment by all Federal 
     agencies.

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