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 Congressman Steve Daines pressed the House yesterday to move forward with the passage of a five-year farm bill, noting the importance of agriculture to Montana’s economy and the need for a long-term Farm Bill that provides Montana’s farmers and rural communities with much-needed certainty.

“One in five Montana jobs rely on agriculture and it is past time for passage of a five-year farm bill that protects and promotes Montana’s number one industry,” Daines said during yesterday’s floor debate on the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management (FARRM) Act. “We need a Farm Bill that supports our rural communities and gives the ag community the certainty needed to plant the crops that feed our country and ensure a stable food supply. We need a Farm Bill that gives Montana farmers relief from burdensome regulations and encourages young people to remain active in their family farms.”

Daines noted that while not perfect, the House Farm Bill contains important provisions that provide “substantive, cost-saving changes to a wide variety of programs in the proposed Farm Bill, including reforms designed to reduce fraud and abuse in the distribution of food stamps.” 

Daines also commended the inclusion of provisions that benefit Montana’s timber community and the health of Montana’s forests.

“As we begin fire season, we have already seen the terrible consequences of the lack of active forest management,” Daines noted.  “It is important we give the Forest Service the necessary regulatory relief in order to protect our communities.”

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