Every five years, Congress reauthorizes the Agriculture Improvement Act – better known as the Farm Bill – to protect the productivity, profitability, and international competitiveness of American agriculture. As the second largest agriculture-producing district in the nation, I am working to ensure that every farmer, producer, and agricultural stakeholder in Iowa has a seat at the table when the Farm Bill is negotiated and eventually signed into law.
Between international trade and conservation to crop insurance and livestock programs, all twelve titles of the Farm Bill support the success of Iowa agriculture and the vitality of our rural main streets. According to the 2022 Feeding the Economy report, Iowa agriculture generates $88.3 billion in economic output, supports 315,000 jobs, and contributes more than $17.5 billion in wages for Iowa workers.
That’s why, this week, I launched my Agriculture Advisory Board – which consists of 60 Iowans from all 36 counties in the 4th District – as we begin to write the 2023 Farm Bill. The board also represents a wide range of industries, including corn, soybeans, pork, beef, turkey, dairy, eggs, cattle, goat, seed, fertilizer, veterinary medicine, equipment manufacturing, FFA, conservation, agricultural lending, and research and development.
Additionally, I hosted a town hall in Sanborn with farmers and producers to hear their suggestions and priorities for the Farm Bill. We covered everything from my work to reauthorize the successful 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and stop China from buying American farmland to the unfair inheritance tax, biofuels production, and international trade. Meeting with Iowans will always be a top priority for me as I travel all 36 counties in my district at least twice a year.
Iowa farmers, producers, and our agricultural community deserve a strong Farm Bill that benefits our state and our agriculture sector. In Congress, I will continue to be a strong voice for rural America and support agricultural policies that protect Iowa’s enduring status as the breadbasket to our country and the world.
We are government together, and your thoughts and opinions matter to me. Please contact my office at Feenstra.House.Gov or by phone at 202-225-4426 if I can ever be of assistance. I am proud to represent our families, farmers, main street businesses, and rural communities in Congress.
