[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 128 (Wednesday, August 5, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4447-S4448]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
FARM BILL
Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, America's farmers and ranchers got some
good news at the end of last week. After a lot of hard work from
members of the Agriculture Committee, Chairman Boozman released the
text of a 5-year farm bill, which is slated for a markup tomorrow, and
it will, I hope, be headed soon to the floor.
As someone who hails from an ag State who has been part of the
drafting of now five farm bills, I know how important the farm bill is
and how much work goes into getting it right. As I made clear at the
start of this Congress, America's farmers and ranchers are a priority
for this Senate majority. That started last year with the Working
Families Tax Cuts, which strengthened the farm safety net, bolstered
critical farm programs, and delivered tax relief to America's
agriculture producers, including relief from the unfair death tax and
making the 199A deduction permanent. It continues this year with this
farm bill, which builds on the important measures in the Working
Families Tax Cuts in order to give farmers and ranchers certainty into
the future.
After the Working Families Tax Cuts raised reference prices last
year, this farm bill makes further improvements to commodity programs
as well as crop insurance--cornerstones of the farm safety net. It
modernizes farm loan programs to get America's next generation of
farmers and ranchers off to a strong start, and it strengthens other
programs that producers depend on. It improves the Emergency Assistance
for Livestock Program, so it covers the cost of hauling feed or water
and opens the program to producers dealing with
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drought or other adverse weather conditions.
It includes my CRP Improvement and Flexibility Act, which will make
the Conservation Reserve Program a more working lands-oriented option
for producers. CRP plays a very significant role in South Dakota's
economy by helping to provide habitat for pheasants, but producers in
my State have been frustrated for years with how the program is
managed--in particular by the fact that its restrictions on land use
can be excessive. That is why I introduced the CRP Improvement and
Flexibility Act.
My bill allows grazing options, including fencing and water
distribution, on all CRP acres. On top of that, it increases the annual
CRP payment limits for the first time in the program's 40-year history.
This bill will make CRP an attractive option for more producers and
open up access for livestock forage in drought conditions.
The farm bill also includes a number of bills I have worked on that
make it easier for producers to do business and get their products to
market.
It includes a bill that I worked on with Senators Grassley,
Klobuchar, and Baldwin that establishes reporting requirements on
fertilizer prices, which will bring more transparency to the fertilizer
marketplace by helping producers to make more informed and cost-
effective choices for their operations.
Another bill of my mine, the Promoting Precision Agriculture Act,
will facilitate the creation of industry-led, voluntary standards for
precision ag technology that will help more farmers adopt this
promising tool.
My Strengthening Local Processing Act gives smaller processors access
to critical information and allows more meat products approved by a
State inspector to be sold across State lines.
The farm bill is about more than just what happens on a farm or a
ranch; it also supports America's rural communities. That includes
water infrastructure, rural development, and healthcare, among other
critical services. It also includes our continued effort to provide
broadband in unserved communities, and I am pleased that this bill will
help ensure that broadband dollars are going to communities that need
it in places where 90 percent or more of the residents lack access to
basic internet services.
There is a lot more I could talk about with this bill--a lot more.
This is a bill that will provide real support and certainty for
America's farmers and ranchers. That is good news for all Americans who
depend on our hard-working producers for food, fuel, and fiber.
Fuel is the final thing I want to discuss this morning. For decades,
the seasonal sale of E15 has been a win-win for America's farmers and
for the American people. It has strengthened the agriculture economy
while providing the American people with an affordable source of
homegrown energy.
For many years, it has been a priority for me and for many of my
colleagues here to allow E15 to be sold all year. It has taken a lot of
work to get here, but I am very proud that this farm bill delivers
permanent--permanent--year-round E15. This is something that is going
to further help producers and help bring down fuel costs for all
Americans.
I want to thank Chairman Boozman as well as Senators Daines, Capito,
and Fischer for all of their hard work on this issue. I am looking
forward to getting it across the finish line.
I spend a lot of time with farmers and ranchers back home in South
Dakota, and they have talked to me about the uncertainty and the
headwinds they face. I have listened to their priorities and made them
my own. As I said, America's farmers and ranchers are a priority for
this Senate majority, and with the Working Families Tax Cuts and now
this farm bill, we are making real progress on the challenges facing
our producers. But, of course, our work is never finished. There will
be more to do in the future to support and strengthen American
agriculture, and America's producers can be confident that their needs
will always be at the top of my list.
I yield the floor.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.
The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for
the quorum call be rescinded.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so
ordered.
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