[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 5]
[House]
[Pages 6367-6368]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      PASS A RESPONSIBLE FARM BILL

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
South Dakota (Mrs. Noem) for 5 minutes.
  Mrs. NOEM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to talk about the importance of 
getting a farm bill done this year. Growing up on a farm in South 
Dakota, I know how volatile the agriculture industry certainly is. Our 
producers will invest in seed; they will fertilize the land; and they 
will put it in the ground in the spring, oftentimes in unfavorable 
weather, in the hope that that fall they will come back and be able to 
pick something up and have something to show for it in the fall. The 
crops that are grown provide food not just for South Dakota, but for 
our Nation and for our world.
  South Dakotans understand that our weather can be extreme and it can 
be unpredictable. It can also vary a lot from year to year. We have 
certainly seen that situation this year. Look at what we have witnessed 
lately. We have gone from extreme droughts in the Midwest to now 
blizzards in April. For agriculture producers, these extremes are more 
than an inconvenience. Whether it is an extended drought that dries out 
crops or a blizzard that endangers a herd of cattle, weather disasters 
can mean the difference between a family operation that is able to make 
it through another year or a family operation that ends forever.
  When faced with weather-related disasters, I know that it is 
essential for our farmers and ranchers to have immediate assistance to 
keep their operations running. We have a national security interest in 
being able to produce our own food in this country. The instance we 
depend on another country

[[Page 6368]]

to feed our people is the instance that we completely let them control 
us and our future. A farm bill not only provides a safety net for us, 
it keeps us safe. We need to keep our farmers on the land in good times 
and in bad times.
  Budgeting for these programs through the farm bill process is much 
more responsible than doing what has been done in the past, such as 
passing large, ad hoc disaster assistance packages, which is what 
Congress often ends up doing year after year if these programs are not 
in place and are not funded. Often these disaster programs could be 
spent at a deficit level rather than responsibly being budgeted for.
  One of the situations we don't talk about very often is how the 
dynamics have changed in the farming industry. It is simply not 
possible for farmers and ranchers to continue to operate without having 
access to credit. The only way they have access to credit a lot of 
times is because of dependence on crop insurance and somewhat of a farm 
safety net.
  Next week, the House Agriculture Committee plans to mark up the farm 
bill. We need this House to act. We need them to get a farm bill done, 
one that will support both rural and urban America. We cannot accept 
another extension this year. We must pass a long-term bill to give 
certainty to our producers and to guarantee our Nation's food supply.

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