Press Release

Welch offered 42 amendments to better support small and family farms, strengthen rural communities, improve access to nutrition WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) , Ranking Member of the Agriculture Subcommittee on Rural Development , Energy , and Credit , today joined all Democrats on the Committee in voting against advancing Senate Republicans’ Farm Bill. The bill failed to advance out of the Committee. Historically, Republicans and Democrats on the Agriculture Committee have worked together to craft a bipartisan Farm Bill. The Farm Bill has not been fully reauthorized since 2018. This year, Senate Republicans on the Agriculture Committee drafted a partisan bill that does not address the needs of Vermont’s small and family farmers, does little to address the devastating cuts to SNAP and nutrition assistance programs in Republicans’ tax bill, and fails to invest in rural communities. “The serious question that we are grappling with, and we don’t have all the tools we need to do it, is the reality that American agriculture is really in crisis. Our farmers are creating an immense amount of wealth, they’re just not getting any of it. I saw a graph from the Secretary of Agriculture showing that for 11 major commodity crops it costs more to plant and harvest than the revenue that our farmers get. That is not a sustainable situation. And that’s the existential challenge that I think we have in this committee: to restore the vitality of American agriculture,” Senator Welch said in the Agriculture Committee markup . “Senate Republicans’ Farm Bill failed to meet the moment. I’m hopeful we can come to the table in good faith to make substantial changes to this Farm Bill, and work together in a bipartisan way to make a real difference for rural America,” Welch said after the bill failed. Watch Senator Welch’s remarks in Committee below : Senator Welch filed 42 amendments to improve Senate Republicans’ Farm Bill. Two were called for a vote and blocked by Republicans on the Committee. Senator Welch’s proposed changes to the bill include measures to better support small and family farms, strengthen rural communities, reform farm subsidy programs, and improve access to nutrition. Senator Welch’s proposed amendments to the Farm Bill included measures to: Better Support Vermont Farmers: Halt the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) reorganization plan Cut red tape for small-scale meat producers in rural communities Improve access to farm loans and credit Provide free access to the Dairy Margin Coverage Program (DMC) for eligible producers Improve data collection for organic dairy farmers Expand eligibility and access to conservation programs Help eliminate barriers for farmers entering the organics market Strengthen Rural Communities: Improve rural broadband buildout and speed standards Lower energy costs for rural communities Combat the threat of invasive species Establish national and regional agroforestry centers Provide multi-year flexible grants to rural communities Strike the Farm Bill’s E15 language, which is bad for dairy and specialty crop farmers,  bad for the environment, and could raise food costs for families Reform Farm Subsidy and Crop Insurance Programs: Ensure taxpayer-provided aid makes it into the hands of actual farmers Improve record-keeping requirements for farm subsidies Develop a crop insurance product for specialty crop and diversified farms facing extreme weather events Improve Access to Nutrition: Increase funding for the Farm to School nutrition program and support initiatives that deliver fresh, local foods to schools nationwide Cut red tape for SNAP applicants Improve USDA’s Food for Peace program View all of Senator Welch’s amendments to the Farm Bill. The Committee meeting will remain open for continued discussions on the Farm Bill. Senator Welch is the Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Rural Development, Energy, and Credit. Learn more about Senator Welch’s work by visiting his website or by following him on social media . ###