To represent North Dakota in the U.S. Senate, there are few priorities more important than passing a robust Farm Bill. As a member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, that’s what I’ve been working to do ever since I helped write and negotiate the 2014 Farm Bill, and now the Senate is on its way to passing a bipartisan bill that includes many wins I fought for to support and strengthen our proud tradition of family farming.

As I’ve toured the state talking with farmers and ranchers, it’s clear that they need the certainty of a new Farm Bill before the current bill expires at the end of September. The Senate is on track to soon pass a strong bill with overwhelming support from Republicans and Democrats, and then we have to find agreement with the House of Representatives to get a final bill to the president’s desk. The Senate will stay in session throughout August to get the job done, and the House should too. Through bipartisan cooperation and regional compromise, the Farm Bill has a long history of avoiding the ideological and political pitfalls that too often prevent progress on important issues in Congress, and this year should be no different.

Giving farmers and ranchers the certainty they need to get through tough times like drought, low commodity prices, and disruptions due to trade policies is priority number one for the Farm Bill. In the bipartisan Senate bill, we protected crop insurance and improved access for veterans, beginning farmers, and fruit and vegetable growers – and fought against the administration’s proposed cuts to the program that would have been disastrous for rural America. 

The ARC-County program is also an important safety net for farmers, but in my conversations with farmers across the state over the past several years, I’ve learned about problems with the data used to calculate payments for losses they incur due to low commodity prices. Earlier this year I introduced a bipartisan bill to fix these issues, and I’m pleased my fix was included in the bill we passed out of Committee.

As the administration continues down a worrying path toward trade wars with the countries North Dakota agriculture producers rely on to buy their goods, I’ve been pushing for smart trade policies that protect our agriculture economy. One of the smartest things we can do is give our producers greater access to emerging markets, which is why I fought to include an amendment to increase access to the Cuban market for American-grown agricultural products, which would be a big win for our state’s growing pulse industry. 95 percent of the world’s population – and mouths to feed – live outside the U.S. We must build stronger trade relationships, not tear them down with tariffs.

Given the challenges our agriculture industry has faced in recent years, young North Dakotans are increasingly wary of starting a career on the farm. The average age of a farmer in our state is approaching 60 years old, an unsustainable path for an industry that’s so vital to our state’s economy and identity.

The Senate Farm Bill includes provisions I wrote in my bipartisan Next Generation in Agriculture Act which helps young and beginning farmers and ranchers enter and remain in the industry. It would provide permanent funding for beginning farmers and ranchers training programs and direct the USDA and state USDA offices to focus and young and beginning farmers. I’m proud these provisions have the support of the North Dakota FFA, the North Dakota Farmers Union, and farmers and ranchers across the state.

The good news for North Dakota agriculture doesn’t stop there – I also fought to include provisions to help farmers and ranchers in crisis and prevent suicide by reestablishing the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network, provisions to support nutrition assistance and economic development in Indian Country, and the establishment of a foot and mouth disease vaccine bank. Taken together, this is a strong bill for North Dakota, and one that I’m proud to fight for in the U.S. Senate. Farmers and ranchers are some of the most hardworking people you’ll ever meet, and I’ll be working hard all summer to deliver a strong, bipartisan bill that supports our state.