[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 11]
[House]
[Pages 15639-15640]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           FARM BILL OF 2013

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 3, 2013, the gentleman from California (Mr. Denham) is 
recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader.
  Mr. DENHAM. Mr. Speaker, I stand before you today as a Central Valley 
farmer, a friend of farmers, an agricultural employer and an 
agricultural worker, and the Representative of a community that is 
dependent upon agriculture for its livelihood.
  As a member of the House Agriculture Committee, I understand the 
specialized needs of various sectors of our ag economy across the 
country. My priorities for this farm bill are:
  First and foremost, providing a 5-year certainty for farmers while 
saving taxpayers dollars by eliminating direct payments and reforming 
nutrition programs for the first time since 1996.
  Second, we need to support innovative research and development on 
specialty crops, a major export for our region and our country as a 
whole.
  Third, we must support programs and increase exports and take 
advantage of all of the new trade agreements we have strengthened and 
established in the past years and prepare for those markets which are 
beginning to open to our ag products.
  Fourth, we must also protect domestic produce and farms from pests 
and diseases that primarily come from other countries.
  And fifth and finally, it is imperative that we uphold a State's 
right to protect its own agriculture industry by passing laws related 
to safety and agricultural production.
  It is time to conference on the farm bill and work with our Senate 
counterparts to produce a final product that will maintain a safety net 
for those most in need and give American growers and producers a 
competitive and productive global edge while saving taxpayers money.
  I now yield to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Austin Scott).
  Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia. I thank the gentleman from California, 
my friend and colleague and a strong advocate for agriculture in this 
country.
  Mr. Speaker, Americans do not like being dependent on foreign oil, 
and Americans sure don't want to become dependent on foreign food. That 
is why, Mr. Speaker, I rise today to discuss the importance of passing 
a farm bill.
  In my home State of Georgia, agriculture plays a major role in the 
overall success of our State. Last year, Georgia agriculture was valued 
at over $14 billion, and the total economic contribution to Georgia was 
$72 billion. This contribution makes up approximately 10 percent of our 
gross domestic product and 360,000 jobs. In my district, one of every 
eight jobs is tied to agriculture.
  As a major economic driver of our State, the agricultural industry 
has suffered without the certainty of a farm bill. Over the past 
several months, our farmers have had to deal with this uncertainty 
within the industry because Washington has not been able to agree on a 
farm bill.
  Many of my constituents are left in limbo, trying to decide what to 
do next year with regard to their crops, wondering if there will be 
crop insurance or the other things that they depend on for their farm 
operations and their livelihoods. That is why it is critical to provide 
the certainty of a farm bill, to boost our economy and help our farmers 
and our farm families succeed and create jobs.
  The farm bill we passed in the House saves taxpayers over $20 
billion. I want to reiterate that, Mr. Speaker--over $20 billion and it 
makes real progress in tackling the drivers of our debt. It 
consolidates more than 100 programs administered by the USDA and 
improves agricultural programs to be more cost effective and market 
oriented by repealing outdated and unworkable permanent law.
  I ask my colleagues to join me so we can move to conference and sign 
a new farm bill into law in order to provide certainty for our country 
and America's farmers.
  Mr. DENHAM. I thank the gentleman from Georgia.

[[Page 15640]]

  I now yield to the gentleman from Montana (Mr. Daines).
  Mr. DAINES. Mr. Speaker, whenever I drive across Montana, I see signs 
of our State's strong ag heritage in about every turn in the road. From 
the fields of sugar beets and wheat to grazing cattle and sheep, these 
are visual reminders of the importance of agriculture to our State and 
everywhere across this country.
  Agriculture is the backbone of Montana's economy. And as a fifth-
generation Montanan, I have a deep appreciation for the value of this 
industry to our State. Agriculture injects several billion dollars into 
Montana's economy every year, and one in five Montana jobs rely on 
agriculture.
  But agriculture is more than the economic driver of our State. It is 
a way of life for thousands of Montana families who have lived off the 
land for generations. My own great, great grandmother came to Montana 
as a homesteader. In fact, she homesteaded up in the Golden Triangle of 
Montana, north of Great Falls, in the heart of Montana's wheat country.
  I know how important it is to ensure that young Montanans have the 
opportunity to continue working on family farms and family ranches. And 
that is why Montanans are so frustrated and I am so frustrated by 
Washington's persistent failure to pass a long-term farm bill that 
provides Montana's producers with the certainty they need and deserve.
  Montanans are sick and tired of the political games that have long 
delayed the passage of a 5-year farm bill. This critical legislation is 
long overdue, and it is unacceptable that Congress continues to stand 
in the way of providing our ag producers and rural communities with a 
long-term solution.
  Agriculture is not only an important part of Montana's economy, but 
it is a critical industry that impacts each and every American. And as 
Montana's sole voice in the U.S. House of Representatives, I am 
committed to being an advocate for Montana's farmers and ranchers. We 
can't wait any longer. We need a farm bill now.
  Mr. DENHAM. I thank the gentleman from Montana.
  I now recognize the gentleman from California (Mr. Valadao).
  Mr. VALADAO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 
1947, the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013.
  Over the last 4 years and after more than 40 hearings, the House of 
Representatives has produced a bill that implements needed commonsense 
reforms for America's farmers.
  The FARRM Act is like any other farm bill previously passed. It has 
strong bipartisan support and makes substantial reforms, repealing 
outdated policies while streamlining and consolidating over 100 
programs.

                              {time}  1545

  Advancing a new farm bill into law this year is crucial to the entire 
country, especially to those in California's Central Valley.
  The legislation makes critical reforms to traditional farm programs. 
The Market Access Program, MAP, will improve export market development 
and assistance to programs that promote U.S. agricultural products 
overseas, allowing our specialty crop farmers here in the Valley to 
expand their businesses.
  We eliminate direct payments. We move to a more market-oriented 
approach where we provide more risk management tools, instead of making 
payments regardless of market conditions. Many farmers in my district 
have questioned these economically unfeasible $5 billion payments that 
go out every year, regardless of market conditions.
  The bill makes improvements to the crop insurance program through 
successful public-private partnerships that ensure farmers have skin in 
the game. This will eliminate some of the unrealistic requirements that 
crop insurance agents face every day, such as asking an agent to verify 
his or her customers' income.
  The legislation relieves farmers of unnecessary burdens by including 
multiple regulator relief provisions. FARRM eliminates the duplicative 
permitting requirements for pesticides that are already federally 
regulated. Failure to remove the additional permit requirement will 
result in an administrative and financial nightmare for agriculture 
producers, public health agencies, and Federal Government and State 
agencies.
  The FARRM bill makes even more important changes that substantially 
affect California's 21st Congressional District:
  Reauthorizes, strengthens, and fully pays for livestock disaster 
assistance;
  Continues to support specialty crops, just as the 2008 farm bill did, 
by fully funding core specialty crop industry priorities such as 
Specialty Crop Block Grants. These grants will fund innovative research 
for my district's fruit, vegetable, and nut farmers to combat disease 
and promote consumption across the U.S., and that is important for food 
security. A nation has to be secure in its food.
  The FARRM Act of 2013 will implement the most significant reforms to 
traditional farm policy in history, while maintaining commonsense, 
fiscally responsible policies. Passage of this legislation will provide 
America's farmers and ranchers, especially those in the Central Valley, 
the certainty and resources they need to produce an adequate and 
affordable food supply for our country and the entire world.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting this much-
needed legislation.
  Mr. DENHAM. I thank the gentleman from California.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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