Dotzenrod: Defeat of Farm Bill in House a Serious Setback for Agriculture in North Dakota

(WYNDMERE, ND) — Today, the House of Representatives failed to pass the Farm Bill. North Dakota Democratic-NPL candidate for Agriculture Commissioner and District 26 State Senator Jim Dotzenrod released the following statement:

“The defeat of the Farm Bill demonstrates how divided Congress has become in their role of supporting agriculture. The House of Representatives did not put farmers first today and failed to pass the Farm Bill in Washington, while here in North Dakota farmers are planting their crops and planning for the future. The Farm Bill is being used to create pressure and leverage to push forward issues that have nothing to do with agriculture. Between threatened tariffs, canceled sales, falling commodity prices, and the ongoing efforts to cut safety net programs, things look pretty dire for our agriculture producers.”

“As a farmer, I know the importance of a strong Farm Bill that ensures that farmers have access to affordable crop insurance while promoting trade at home and abroad. We have seen attacks on both of those pillars in the recent debates in the House. The Farm Bill debate that has unfolded in Washington shows that Congress is out of sync with the priorities of our farmers. We need leadership in Bismarck and Washington that recognizes the serious situation farmers are in and is willing to work to fix it. In the Senate, Heidi Heitkamp, who worked on the 2014 Farm Bill and is working on the 2018 version, has actively supported crop insurance and trade promotion. I hope our other federal and state elected officials will join in supporting these priorities.”