VIDEO: Sen. Moran Urges Passage of the Senate Farm Bill & Highlights Agriculture Priorities

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) – a member of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee – yesterday joined Eliza Petry on RFD-TV to discuss the importance of passing a Senate Farm Bill. He highlighted a number of Kansas agricultural priorities, including year-round E-15 sales, increased farm loan limits, strengthened trade promotion funding and his amendment to permanently transfer Food for Peace to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). “This matters to us, and we’re going to do everything we can to get an end product so we can negotiate with the House and get a Farm Bill to the President,” said Sen. Moran. “I love talking to farmers and ranchers in Kansas. They need certainty, and I encourage producers across the country to contact members of the Agriculture Committee and let them know how important it is to get this bill done.” “If you care about rural communities across your states, if you care about your hometown, make sure that we do the things here that give farmers a chance to have another generation of their families or new people come to town and enter agriculture,” concluded Sen. Moran. During yesterday’s Senate Farm Bill markup, Sen. Moran offered his amendment to permanently transfer Food for Peace to USDA, and it was unanimously adopted. The committee plans to resume consideration of the Farm Bill when Congress returns in September. Click HERE to Watch Sen. Moran’s Full Interview on RFD-TV On year-round E-15: “This builds upon what happened in the reconciliation bill of last year, in which we dealt with a lot of the safety net and tax issues. This adds a lot of certainty and help to farmers and ranchers across the country. We’ve come together in a way, that particularly with adding E-15 year-round to this bill, it becomes even more important to agricultural producers almost every place across the nation. […] We are doing what needs to be done to get the votes to pass the Senate. The E-15 provisions have been drafted to keep small refiners satisfied while providing an important benefit for agriculture.” On Food for Peace: “It’s not controversial, but I’ve been pursuing for a long time now, moving the Food for Peace program, which was addressed by the Trump administration early on. The decision was made that we could move the Food for Peace program for the Department of State – from USAID – to the Department of Agriculture. That’s happened on a temporary basis, and I expect my amendment to make permanent that move of Food for Peace to be included in the final package and be supported presumably by both Republicans and Democrats. Certainly, there would be no reason they shouldn’t be supportive of this. We’ve worked closely with them.” On increasing farm loan limits: “I hope that my Democratic colleagues, who I work with constantly in this committee and others, really understand the circumstances that almost every place in the country in agriculture is facing, and that is low commodity prices compared to high input costs. In Kansas in particular, five years preceding this is a drought. So, we’re not really prepared. We don’t have the financial capability of going through another difficult year without this help. […] Every time a farmer or rancher goes to the bank, they have to demonstrate they have the cash flow to pay back the loan. These government credit programs help farmers survive into another year. I love talking to farmers and ranchers in Kansas. They need certainty, and I encourage producers across the country to contact members of the Agriculture Committee and let them know how important it is to get this bill done.” On the need for bipartisan consensus: “This is important. This matters to us, and we’re going to do everything we can to get an end product so we can negotiate with the House and get a Farm Bill to the President. […] When I’m trying to make sure that my hometown of 2,000 people, Plainville, Kansas, has a future, I can only answer that question yes – there’s a lot of other things, but I can only answer that question yes – when my farmers and ranchers are successful, and they have the opportunity to return that farm to the next generation of Kansans. That’s what makes rural America. Agriculture makes rural America. And if you care about rural communities across your states, if you care about your hometown, make sure that we do the things here that give farmers a chance to have another generation of their families or new people come to town and enter agriculture.” # # #