possible. no government mandate. no public funding. there is no advertising. c-span is truly ha public service who wholly funded by fees paid by gci and other companies. c-span kindly calls itself cable's gift to america. and now thanks to our long standing special partnership with c-span's buses nationwide 50 capitals tour, we get to show case our state, the largest in the nation, by the way, to the rest of the country via c-span. well, they are here, finally, thank goodness. >> we are ecstatic. it is a huge deal for us. it gives us a chance to show case our city nationwide. and just to have the idea that somebody wants to come in and sample what we have to offer here and hopefully take it back and we are open for business and we like the idea that you are

here. it's like having visitors in the summertime. >> be sure to join us july 21 and 22 when we feature our visit to alaska. watch alaska weekend on c-span. c-span.org or listen on the c-span radio app. >> earlier this month, the senate agricultural committee met to consider amendments to the 2018 farm bill and to reauthorize farm and nutrition programs for the next five years. it would extend the supplemental nutrition assistance program known as snap or food stamps and renew safety net programs for farmers. also includes language to legalize industrial hemp as agriculturagriculturanagricultg.

>> seeing a quarrel i call this meeting of the committee to order. i am now going to recognize senator grassley in that he has a prior commitment for his three commtes of ke. >> thank you, mr. chairman. i have a fairly reserved statement. don't assume i don't have some strong views on some things that i thank chairman roberts, ranking members in commending you all for getting to this point, putting together a bill of this size and complexity is no small task. this legislation will impact every citizen and nearly every acre of land in america. there are several pieces of this legislation that i like very much in support the market access informed market development programs being

funded. these programs are very important that they promote our products abroad and leverage private dollars. i think there are some very sensible and much needed reforms to the conservation reserve program that should help refocus it better to its original intent. in iowa we had some land owners getting over $300 over an acre for putting their farms in crp. that was making it hard for young farmers to compete against the government. even young farmers had land taken away from them because it was enrolled at crp at lucrative rates. they were out sensed for being out bid knowing government national debt is $20 trillion. so i commend senator ernst from this area.

and i'd like to hear from other members about the add q&aty of these programs from these stand points that we have enough incentive that the most fragile go in before high yielding land goes in so we get more bang for the taxpayers dollars. and whole farms shouldn't be given consideration over other land. on crop insurance, i'm happy to see that we maintain a very strong program. the changes that clarify in the crop insurance program for covered crop termination shall not take effect -- shall not effect the insure ability of subsequent crops. very welcome in iowa, cover crops are becoming popular, they help reduce runoff that hurts the environment. the commodity title of this program is very similar to the last farm bill.

there are certainly improvements that can be made as a few crops have price triggers that are extremely high. when price triggers have a ten-year average to determine the price of that crop, it's hard to explain how that is a safety net and not simply a guaranteed payment, turning out to be a ridiculous policy. i'm happy on an amendment that i offered that encourages partnership, help ways water utilities find low cost solutions to meet the clean water act targets more effectively was the manager's amendment. instead of these utilities, building expensive water treatment plants, they can be given credits for programs at lower costs is something we ought to be concentrated on.

i'm also disiblted thappointed bill does not reforms on bill. while no bill is perfect, we want to move in the right place every time we take up legislation like this. i'm also dismayed that we do not have a cbo score. things are hard for farmers out in the countryside right now and passing a farm bill will provide certainty to our farmers. as chairman roberts has reminded me several times over the last week. thank you. >> i tha the senator. i want to point out again that i'm going to tap this gavel if we exceed three minutes. we simply have to get this bill done. >> was i over three minutes. >> about four minutes and 15 seconds. >> but who is counting. >> but that's about your batting

average. >> charge me for it. [ laughter ] >> i want to welcome my colleagues today. and today's business meeting where we will consider the agricultural improvement act of 2018, the farm bill. everyone certainty and predictability. especially during these difficult times. this is absolutely paramount to any other concern. i respect the long-held partnerships this committee has had with farm and commodity organizations, with all of the folks who have banded together to fight for better nutrition and to abolish hundrger.

we could go down all 12 titles of the farm bill and the many others who provide us with sorely needed advice and counsel. still, our single overriding responsibility is to the men and women and farm families in america who today are in difficult and too many in desperate times. it is not an exaggeration to say that our nation's food and fiber production capability hang in the balance with what we do here today. so let us begin and let us get this done. many of you have introduced legislation over the last year that addresses your priorities and those of stake hoholders in your states. the ranking member and i have tried to address as many of those as possible in the draft. we have included 66 amendments as part of a manager's amendment for the committee to consider, we are engaged in this important

effort together. we are continuing to craft a farm bill that meets the needs of producers all across our country, all regions, all crops. all of agriculture is struggling, not just one or two commodities. we must have a bill that works across our entire country, and we must ensure that our voluntary conservation programs are keeping farmland in operation while protecting our agricultural lands, forests and other natural resources. we must focus on program integrity and common sense investments to strengthen our nutrition sit a national security challenge. show me a country that can not feed itself and i'll show you a nation in chaos.

goodness knows, we have enough chaos in the world today. this means we need to grow more and raise more with fewer resources. it takes the government providing the tools and then getting out of the producer's way. we must make tough choices and be judicious with the resources we have. we must ensure programs accomplish their fundamental purposes, agriculture and specifically the farm bill has consistently answered to the call to do more with less every time. to those who say passing a farm bill in this environment is a

daunting task i say together that we can get this done. we must embrace the attitude of our producers' optimism and ingenuity. and together we can, we must pass a bill that provides the men and women much needed certainty and predictability they so deserve. i turn to my colleague for her opening remarks. >> thank you very much. first of all i want to say it is a great pleasure to work with you as partners in this committee. i also want to say thank you to our staffs, who may not have had a lot of sleep recently but have worked as partners and really skilled professionals, both of our teams, i think, to produce a product for us. we greatly appreciate their hard work. from the start of this process,

you and i made a commitment to deliver a bipartisan farm bill that would work for our farmers, our families and our world communities. for our families and report it includes important improvements for michigan, states respect. over the past year and ahalf we have put our political differences aside. from farmers and rural leaders to conservationists and food advocates, we heard loud and clear that they need the certainty of a five-year farm bill. america's farmers and ranchers especially need a reliable safety net to protect them from the risks they face every day.

when a year's worth of work can be erased by a singleay of bad weather or a sudden turn in the market, farmers rely on strong risk management tools. making improvements for our dairy farmers was one of my top priorities, as for many members on my side and i know this has been a passion for us and i appreciate all of our working together on this. in addition to the $1.1 billion we secured in the bipartisan budget act and again i have to say thank you to senator lahey for his incredible leadership, we replaced the margin protection program with dairy risk cerage and invested an additional 100 million to improve affordability and flexibility. while it is true we face a tight budget, we were still able to work together to protect some of the most important parts of the farm bill and continue to expand the coalition engaged in our food and farm system.

new support for veterans, in addition to permanent investments for beginning farmers helps build the bench for the next generation of agriculture for years to come. permanent mandatory funding for both international trade and investments in farmers markets and local food systems help producers sell their products both at home and abroad. incentives for healthy food means more nutritional food for families. investments in cutting edge agricultural research help us be more productive and more profitable. and we made these critical investments without cutting key programs like conservation. this bill has no overall cuts to the conservation title, which helps our farmers be more productive and protects our land and water. by focussing on innovative public-private partnerships we

will grow funding to support locally led conservation. i want to thank senator ernst for joining me. new titles to drive conservation and restoration on our national forests is included. just as the farm bill supports farmers and landowners, it also supports families and communities. we work to find common ground to improve the integrity of nutrition assistance and help families find good paying stable jobs. we made historic investments to support tribal communities. we also protected and expanded initiatives that create rural jobs and ensure families can enjoy a high quality of life no matter where they live. one of the things sorely needed,

and i know we all agree this is needed in rural communities, is reliable high-speed internet. in my home state alone, there are nearly one million people in rural michigan who lack access. our bill includes new opportunities that will connect rural households, schools and businesses that need it most. we strengthen job opportunities by continuing strong investments in bio-based manufacturing and we found ways to improve the health of rural families. new prioritized support for water infrastructure will address harmful contaminants in drinking water. additionally expanded resources will be provided to combat the opioid epidemic that has devastated far too many families across the country. on every title, on every page you can see that this truly is a farm bill that needs critical priorities across our country. again, i want to thank all the

members of the committee. we could go around this table and each member has important provisions in this bill. and has made important contributions. and we thank everyone for that. you have brought valuable ideas to the table and you have worked hard to make sure we can get here today. and again i want to thank my great partner, senator roberts for all of the long hours and hard work we have done together to write the farm bill that makes sense for our farmers, ranchers, rural communities and families. mr. chairman, now let's pass the farm bill. >> i thank the senator. i want to associate myself with her remarks with regards to staff. you are only as good as your staff and we have the best. that goes for everybody here, the committee members and their staff, having been a staffer for 14 years, i have a special feeling about that. but this was a daunting task. and they spent a lot of hours

way into the evening early this morning, you know, still trying to put this together. senator boseman. >> right off the bat i want to thank you and the ranking member for their hard work over the last several months. y'all are great and work hard but your staffs are excellent, so we really appreciate that. for crafting a bipartisan peace -- piece of legislation, especially during a time when budgets a tight and tough choices must be made. as we are all aware the farm economy is a much different place than the last time we were around this table debating a farm bill. net farm income is half of what it was then. farm bankruptcies are up. financing is becoming more expensive. income costs are rising. farmers across the country and regardless of which state they reside in and what crops they

grow are hurting. now is not the time to be cutting the farm safety net program. we must provide a timely farm bill to provide certainly to the folks who feed and clothe the nation and the world for which we can be very proud. i was particularly pleased to see the chairman and ranking members maintained strong safety nets. this bill also improves programs to the veterans to help them become involved in agriculture. i was also pleased to see my amendments were included in the managers package. i want to acknowledge the partnership program is an excellent tool for bringing partnerships and additional nonfederal funding to the conservation effort. my home state have benefitted from the rise partnership efforts of ducks unlimited, usa rice, arkansas rice, nrcs

through rcpp. it is being significant and meaningful. however, i have concerns regarding the changes to rcpp that will allow 30% of the funding to be allocated as grants to these organizations. the vision has always been the best of government and the best of partnerships working for the producers and the natural resources. the program is delivered in this regard, but i fear we are opening the door to conservation dollars being diverted to organization capacity building and supporting certain organization members, rather than continuing to leverage private funding to the benefit of many producers in a given region. my constituents at home have also reached out with concerns regarding changes to the food aid provisions. farmers are the biggest champions and largest constituency for these programs. i'm afraid we could harm the long-term viability for them by turning cash based rather than commodity based.

by doing so, ahurting the ones who support this position the most. as the chairman has reiterated through this process, we must provide our farmers and ranchers with certain predictability. we must ensure it reaches all farmers that we do not attack or cut down one region to prop up another. again, i look forward to getting this thing passed and thanks again to y'all and your staffs. >> thank you, senator. >> thank you. we have worked together in a bipartisan way to draft this 2018 farm bill. it's actually an example of what the senate could achieve without rank and rhetoric and focus on the real challenges we face. and this committee has a long and well deserved reputation for that. mrs. chairman, i think of your predecessor or dear friend of both of us, bob dole when he was here.

i remember working closely with hubert humphrey. you got two people poles apart philosophically. and they would work together and come up with good agriculture legislation, joined it. you have done the same and the senator has. i know in our state, vermont farmers and families rely on the support and guidance of the farm bill so our farms, both large and small and productive, that their children are nourished, the air, land and water protected and this bill makes important improvements in all of these. rural communities across vermont and every corner of america, represented every single state here would directly benefit from this bill. that's where we set our priorities, just like our spending bills. farmers everywhere face increasingly difficult times. vermont is no exception.

our dairy farm, the backbone of many of our communities faced significant challenges in recent years. it is a very hard time for them. i see them working 365 days a year, enormous hours, very difficult work. and i see the deaths and the despair in many of these people who have been generations of the backbone of our communities, true the best of vermont. so this bill is another opportunity to provide the support and security the dairy farmers deserve, with higher levels of risk coverage under the risk coverage program. also accounts to provide nutritional support for our citizens as well as reduce hunger worldwide, continued programs like mcgovern-dole. and i like what is done in the organic industry.

when i first wrote that bill, when i was chairman of this committee, none of us would imagine it would turn into a $50 billion industry. so it's a good bill. it's a bipartisan bill. i'll put my whole statement in the record, but mr. chairman, two committees i so enjoy serving on, this one and appropriations because republicans and democrats work together in the way the senate should and has in the past and can work. so i thank you. >> i thank the senator from vermont. thank you, mr. chairman and ranking member. thanks to you and your staff members. we drafted the bipartisan bill we're marking up today. unlike the last three bills that

i have been involved with in farm bills as a member, today we're writing a farm bill during an extended economic downturn. and the ag community, the future is clouded by the uncertain economic conditions that we're facing today. mrs. chairman, over the past 14 months, i have introduced 11 marker bills, some with members on the other side of the aisle that i believe offer sound policy, some to improve management flexibility for use of land enrolled in crp and other conservation easements, along with senators brown and grassley, we offered a bill that would more equitable distribute commodity program payments across all regions of the united states and across all commodities by adjusting reference prices that exceed 100% of the market price average for those crops. more than 77% of all based acres in the united states are enrolled in arc, which not only provides price protection, but also provides production loss protection.

however, arc did not receive the changes needed to make this program an effective safety net of the next farm bill. our bill also offering the savings to taxpayers by directing assistance with bases on land that is actually being cropped. under current policy there are thousands of acres of land with bases that have not been farmed for years. yet this land is still receiving commodity type payments. i would argue that is not good policy. i spent the last two days in an effort to modify arc. however, we simply ran out of time to make the necessary adjustments and get them scored by the cbo. creating good policy and savings is often painful and unpopular, which is why many much needed changes are not made. i feel we could have made some unpopular decisions in this bill that would have resulted in better policy. there are those who chose to

put those changes off for a another day. the conservation title is critically important to my home state of south dakota and several proposals that would improve the management. they have been included in the chairman's mark and management package, which i appreciate. we're going to vote on a crp amendment that would improve the acreage cap and improve grazing without compromising conservation and wildlife benefits. mrs. chairman, we have all have additional policies we would like included this in bill, but in the end we have a bill that will help address the challenges of today's agricultural economy, and i look forward to its consideration. thank you. >> senator gillibrand. >> thank you, mr. chairman. i did not prepare an opening statement, but i will just briefly summarize the amendments i hope we get to talk about today. one is to help dairy farmers. we worked hard on a bill because in new york state today our dairy farmers are not only living on poverty wages but many are going out of business and

they're committing suicide. helping the dairy farmers is one of my highest priorities because giving relief to them now is crucial. when a dairy farm goes out of business, the land gets sold. it is developed. it is gone forever. we have talked about production of food as a national security priority. that, in fact, if you relegate production of certain foods to one part of the state, one part of the country, any problem whether it's a draught in california, nuclear fall-out coming across from japan, it literally changes whether we can produce wholesome food in that part of the country. we want to make sure dairy stays in places like california, wisconsin, new york and vermont. thank you, amy, for working so hard on that bill. another amendment i want to pull up is about pollinators.

normally on the agriculture committee, we side with our producers and if they like a certain chemical they use in production for weed killing or bug killing, we generally side with our producers. but there are a class of chemicals that are killing bees. you can't produce fruits and vegetables in this country if you don't have bees to pollinate. i don't think we will get to vote on this today, but we might be able to call it up on the floor. i just want to highlight it for you to inform yourselves that just listening to producers and not knowing the science behind what could change whether we could produce crops in this country is really important to me. the snap provisions are super important for new york state. we have a lot of families struggling to just feed their kids. and one of my amendments is to make it possible if you are a full-time caregiver, if you have a special needs child at home, an elderly parent, you can be eligible for food stamps. the requirement now is you have to be working, but if you're a full-time caregiver, you are

working, you just might not be compensated. i want to talk about that in this committee long-term. and then last a rural jobs and investment bill. this is a bill that the chairman and the ranking member have been working with me. it is supported by all of the advocacy groups that care deeply about agriculture in this country. it is a make sense bill we could perhaps include in a future managers amendment. if i'm not here to talk about, my goal would be to offer and withdraw so we could work on it because there is no opposition to that bill. it is a very common sense bill to help create jobs in rural america. thank you so much. >> we thank you, senator. senator hide-smith. >> thank you, mr. chairman. i also would like to thank you and our ranking member for working so hard and being so open to everyone on this committee and certainly the staff that has put so many hours into this. i commend you for putting together a strong bipartisan bill. and more importantly a bill which seeks to meet the specific needs of all the farmers,

ranchers and producers in all the regions of our country. the fact you were able to accomplish that in a bill that is estimated to actually save $60 million over the next ten years is very impressive. i'm grateful for your commitment to our responsibility of being good stewards of taxpayer dollars. the broad array of programs and policies authorized by the farm bill will affect the overall quality of life for families such as line across the united states and many mississippians. agriculture is the number one industry in our state, employing nearly 30% of the work force, directly or indirectly. i'm confident that mississippi's 36,000 farms, 11 million acres of farmland and 20 million acres of forestland will be well served by the legislation from this committee today. the authorizing of the price-loss coverage program in the commodity title will ensure

producers have adequate protection when market prices are low and maintaining the current level support structure will help our larger producers remain in business when times get very, very tough. the working lands program will allow farmers to continue to producing on the highly productive lands while minimizing the environmental footprint, and the easement programs will allow landowners to set aside less pickup trurod land for wildlife habitat and water quality improvements. with respect to the nutrition title, i'm encouraged that annual spending over the life of the bill is estimated to be roughly $12 billion below the 2014 farm bill levels. i'm also pleased that this farm bill seeks improvements to the supplemental nutrition assistance program, the snap program, to increase program integrity and focuses on working requirements for snap beneficiaries. as we move forward, i hope the committee will seek to further reform and improve the nutrition title to ensure our food

assistance program, provide help for those in need, but also provide a path toward employment and self-sustainability. in closing, mr. chairman, i would like to thank you and members of your staff for including my amendments in the manager's package of amendments. i look forward to continue working with you on this farm bill process. >> we thank you, senator. senator brown. >> thank you, mr. chairman and thank you for the extraordinary work you did and that senator staveno did. i want to thank the staff on both sides, especially the committee staff and the work that you did and john mccracken in my office. i associate, as senator hyde-smith just said, i don't think everyone got everything we wanted but we're taking steps toward improving our conservation programs, investing in local foods and especially crops, maintaining a strong safety net, reducing

hunger in our country. everyone in this country, the whole senate even, has heard me talk about the importance of the great lakes and the fragility of lake erie. it is the most productive. it drains some of the most productive farmland in america. it drains farms in ohio, michigan, indiana, pennsylvania and new york. it round tables across ohio. i hear from farmers about their desire for conservation programs that would help them reduce run off and promote soil health and were easier to use. so maintaining this committee's commitment to conservation spending and reforming existing programs to better target where spending goes and how it is used are essential to meet our natural resource challenges. whether it's promoting cover crops, prioritizing source water protection and csp or prioritizing water policy, this

bill gets us a step closer to achieve those goals. i want to thank especially senators for their work on their provisions. i also want to note for the first time we provided baseline funding for usda programs that promote local food production and help small growers into the future. senator collins and i worked on this bill, the new local assistance market program and we'll help strengthen this local food sector. the food and security nutrition incentive program was increased in this bill because it has proved so successful, including in ohio since it's creation in the 2014 farm bill. with this provision snap recipients will be able to increase their purchasing power when they buy fresh fruits and vegetables. it has been for families and local farmers who have new customers.

i expect the harvesting health program will soon be a nation-wide model for reducing hospital and doctor visits as at risk patients have greater access to healthier diets. some provisions of the coverage improvement and innovation act i included are included in this bill. there is more the senate should do to improve. i especially thank the senators for their work on this. there are dozens of other provisions of this bill that are good for ohio farmers in small towns, ensuring the integrity of organic crops, helping small dairies, investing in waste

water programs, fighting the opioid epidemic. it is a bill good for farmers, good for families, good for taxpayers. i'm committed to working with my colleagues. >> thank you, senator. senator fisher. >> thank you, chairman roberts and ranking member for your work on the bipartisan package before us. i recognize this was not an easy task and i commend your efforts and the hard work by your staff. agriculture is the backbone of nebraska's economy and a big part of my own life. in fact, one of every four jobs in nebraska is directly tied to agriculture. that's why i'm thankful to represent nebraska in this committee. as each of us around this table is fully aware, there is a lot of anxiety in farm country. with current net farm income down by over 50% compared to five years ago and uncertainty surrounding international trade

and biofuel policy, farmers and ranchers are feeling scared and vulnerable. they are looking to us, to this committee, to provide the certainty and predictability they need to support their families and to feed the world. since my first day in congress, i have worked with my colleagues to promote common sense policies that enable our ag producers to prosper. this farm bill process gives us the opportunity to accomplish this mission. traveling around my home state, nebraskans told me they are looking for a strong farm safety net that upholds the integrity of the crop insurance program. this important program works in my state, and i appreciate that the bill before us continues it. i also appreciate the committee for recognizing the important of our trade promotion programs. our farmers and our ranchers have proven they can and will

aggressively pursue global markets, consolidating the four primary programs under title three will eliminate the anxiety of expiring baselines, providing producers with more leverage as they look to expand into new markets. it is also imperative that we give our farmers and ranchers the tools and technology that enable them to maintain their competitive advantage. this package builds off of congress's existing commitment to expand broad band deployment to the most underserved and rural areas by prioritizing projects that provide broad band to the most rural areas, we can boost connectivity, assisting in bringing the next generation back to the farm and enhancing our agricultural productivity. mr. chairman and ranking member, i commend the committee for crafting a bipartisan farm bill

that looks to provide our farmers and ranchers with the tools and certainty they need to feed our nation and to feed the world. it is important to me that we remember these hard working men and woman. i look forward to working with my colleagues to improve the bill today and as it moves forward in the legislative process. thank you. >> i thank the senator. senator smith. >> thank you very much, chairman roberts and ranking member for all of your work on this incredibly good bipartisan farm bill before us today. i also want to add my thanks to everybody's staff for lots of time to make this all come together. when i first came to the senate just a few months ago, i asked to sit on this committee, and i immediately put together a farm bill working group so i could

hear from farmers and ranchers and nutrition experts and rural leaders on what ought to be included in this farm bill. and that working group has provided a lot of great guidance to me and my staff all the way through this process. i want to thank them for their help. as several of you have noted, this farm bill touches the lives of every american and certainly every minnesotan. it will provide important stability and predictability to minnesota farmers and ranchers and rural communities while also sustaining tens of thousands of minnesota jobs. i'm very thankful that this bill includes many of the proposals that i have been working to get included in this bill for minnesotans. that includes maintaining the sugar program and also improving the dairy safety net. i know my colleagues worked very hard on this. the bill also includes,

establishes a new national animal disease preparedness response and recovery program. we know how important this is. i want to thank the senator for her work on this. the bill makes important improvements to conservation programs to make sure our farmers have the opportunity to start conservation efforts and to keep those going into the future and i'm very happy that the bill provides also help for beginning farmers and traditionally disadvantaged farmers. in our state of minnesota, that means native american farmers and hmung farmers and veteran farmers to make sure they have an ability to access usda services. i want to thank the senators for helping for that work. as a ranking member of the rural development energy subcommittee, i am very happy this bill also includes strong energy title

that strengthens energy programs like the rural energy for america program. my colleague has also provided great leadership on this, along with senator ernst. i'm very happy to see that included. i also would just like to note, chairman roberts, that i'm very happy for the inclusion of our rural health liaison legislation in the managers package today. i worked on that with senator rounds and senator jones. this will encourage the collaboration we know we need between usda and health and human services to address the specific health care needs of rural communities. i'm very happy to see that included. thank you again. i look forward to continuing work on this bill. >> i thank the senator. senator hogan, with your permission, i would like to recognize our leader, senator mcconnell, for his three minutes and 21 seconds.

>> well thank you, mr. chairman, ranking member stavenu. >> could i say one other thing? and pardon the interruption. thank you for your commitment not only to be here but your commitment, and i want to make this clear to everybody and also with regards to senator schumer, both leaders committed once we finish our business here, we can finish our business on the floor of the united states senate. thank you, sir. >> well, let me mention -- thank you, mr. chairman. we'll turn to the farm bill before the 4th of july. and i'm hopeful that the house will get to theirs. it will probably look a little different from ours, but i'm hoping they will get to theirs shortly, which will give us the chance to get into conference and actually make a law here, which i know we're all intentionally interested in doing.

i want to thank both of you for the process that's led us to today. in my home state of kentucky, our agricultural heritage is an essential part of our heritage and pride. 75,000 farms in the blue grass provide jobs and a great way of life for a lot of people that i represent. i'm proud to support this bill before us today. it can deliver much needed certainty for farmers. one way it does so is by protecting crop insurance, a crucial tool for our farmers that face challenges such as natural disasters or inclement weather that could wipe out an entire operation. by any measure, this is a good bill with common sense proposals to help families and communities. i particularly want to thank the

chairman and ranking member for including my hemp farming act in this bill. there are a lot of supports around this table. thank you. i think it is time we took this step. i think everybody is now figured it out. this is not the other plant. we had a little difficulty four years ago in putting the palate projects in the farm bill explaining to people this is a totally different plant. i know there are farming communities all over the country who are interested in this. mine particularly interested in it. the reason for that is, as all of you know, our number one cash crop used to be something really not good for you, tobacco. and that was declined significantly, as it should given the public health concerns. and younger farmers in my state are particularly interested in going in this direction.

so i think it's time for america and i'm very excited about what you have done. got a lot of people in my state who are extremely enthusiastic about the opportunities. i don't know if this will ever be as big as tobacco was. when i came to the senate, we had quota program. you of course fully remember. it's a little bit like something out of moscow in early 1920s. but anyway, they assigned quota to the farm. and we had at least some tobacco in 119 of 120 counties. it was the only thing you could grow profitably that was legal. it was legal. up what we call a holler, between two tall mountains. it was literally everywhere. but for obvious -- obviously the public health concerns, the

program began to decline. i was fortunate enough to orchestrate a buyout of those quotas by the government. the asset was attached to the land, and when you paid your property taxes, the tobacco quota you had was part of the value of your land. no tax money was used in the buyout, which you will remember, pat, from probably 2004, 2005. but it was paid for, essentially, by the industry itself. and, so, over a ten-year period, this quota that was created by the government that added value to the land was compensated for. and we always had diverse agriculture, but there was nothing as big as tobacco. so all the people in rural kentucky who sort of grew up with tobacco are hoping that this will be really something. as we all know, hemp is very diversified.

it could end up in your car dashboard. it could end up in food. it could end up in certain kinds of pharmaceuticals. it's time to figure it out and see will the market will take us. and so i just want to conclude by thanking y'all very much for your interest in this. i think it is an important new development in american agriculture and i hope -- there is plenty of hemp around. it's just come from some other country. why in the world would we want a lot of it not to come from here. >> could i add a word to what the leader has said on tobacco. you bring back a lot of memories. when i was sitting down there at the very end of the table, dave and i were the two most junior members at that time and both became chair of this committee. i remember the chairman sitting up here, almost obscured by the

tobacco smoke. >> yeah. everybody was smoking. >> of their cigars. senator east man, being a strong anti-communist, he was burning castro's crops. and you heard muttering and that was the tobacco legislation. the rest of us say what did they say? you don't need to know. so you bring back some memories. thank you. >> i thank the leader and senator lahey for their perspective. >> remember in the '40s, they smoked all the time. anyway, times have changed. for the better.

>> thank you for that history lesson. i remember when i first came here and we talked about the tobacco program with president coolidge. he was known as silent cal and she just nodded his head. now we have industrial hemp and the leader has that amendment and it will be successful. >> it's going to be hard to follow that. although the leader talked about a holler in kentucky being an area between duostands of trees. in our part of the world holler means something else. so hopefully we will be able to holler when we pass this farm bill. but thanks to both chairman and the ranking member. i know you have worked long and hard and i appreciate your willingness to dialogue. as each of you have come around and worked with all the members of this committee and then gone back and worked with each other,

that's what it takes to get base text that puts us in position to pass a bill. and that's where we are. i know we will go through amendments. hopefully not for too long. but it doesn't happen without that base text that reflects the input of all the members. and as a number of our members have said, we don't get everything we want. we will work on that in the amendment process, to try to get some additional things done. but that base text is vital in terms of getting a starting point we can bring this bill out of this committee with enough consensus to move it on the floor. i think we're in a position to do that. and that's a tribute to you two, and it doesn't happen without an incredible amount of work on your part as well as a lot of experience and knowledge of what you are working on and your staffs and our staffs. big thanks to you and to the staffs. i know some have been up all night. we have to recognize and appreciate how hard they work and how committed they are to helping get this done. the leader i think it is particularly good you are here because it reflects our ability to get this done, your push

behind it, both in your committee and on the floor. look, i think the priorities are in here. that's why i think this does work. our farmers up against it are farmers and ranchers. commodity prices are low. they face a lot of challenges, right? so we have to try to move this bill to help them help reduce the uncertainty. they are the most productive in the world. no question they can compete. the point i like to make is good farm policy benefits every single american every single day because we have the highest quality, lowest cost food supply in the world. passing this bill doesn't help farmers and ranchers, this helps every american. every american benefits from what we do here. highest quality, lowest cost food supply in the world benefitting every single american every single day. not to mention all the economic benefits our farmers and ranchers create, whether it is jobs, favorable balance of trade, you name it.

absolutely leading the world in feeding the world. just mentioning real quick the priorities. you know, things that we have laid out that are vital. and this builds on the existing farm bill. we're not trying to recreate the wheel. we're trying to improve the farm bill we have. and i think that's a very good thing. it starts out with insurance. john thun and others talked about how we worked to improve those things. the ag research, we're doing things in agriculture that we wouldn't even have dreamed of a few years ago. we wouldn't have had to go back to coolidge. we're going back five years. we're growing crops for energy and other uses in addition to food that we couldn't grow in regions of the country before. that's all due to ag research, both university based and nrs.

we need them both. we cover those bases here. obviously the no cost sugar programs are very big in our part of the world. it is a huge industry and it goes to making our farmers have a fair opportunity to compete in global markets. programs like the vaccine bank, so make sure we keep our livestock and crops, particularly our livestock, healthy as well as the research to keep our crops healthy. access to capital we will work on some more here. we will get something done. there may be back and forth, but we have to make sure or farmers and ranchers get that access to capital. so i will wrap up there. but again, thanks to all the members of the committee for the willingness to work together. but it starts with our leadership. and i want to thank you and again the staff for all your hard work. >> appreciate that senator. >> thank you, mr. chairman. while the majority leader is here, i'd like to mention as one of the negotiator on the tobacco

settlement, we worked very hard to get a transition piece for your farmers so that they could, in fact, find success growing other crops. i think the industry's willingness to step up may have been encouraged by that settlement. but north dakota in the 1990s passed a hemp bill allowing for the growth of hemp in our state. we have been waiting for this for almost 20 years. and so i'm proud to join with you in helping your farmers transition away from tobacco, transition into a crop that they can be successful in. i think that's the beauty of the farm bill for all of us. beauty of the farm bill is we recognize the regional differences. we recognize the commonalities and then we're able to forge a coalition and forge a great bill as our ranking member and our

chairman have done here. i want to point out a couple things. i hope we can all hang together on the floor against changes to the farm bill that will weaken this structure and this coalition. we know there's going to be attempts to change the foundations of the crop insurance program. limitations that i think could weaken the crop insurance program. we always have a challenge with sugar, as you know. some of the colleagues here don't always share that point of view. i voted for catfish, i voted for tobacco, which i voted for a lot of things, cotton and rice, that we don't grow in north dakota, because that's in essence the quality of the coalition that's forged here. i stand ready. 90% of north dakota's land is engaged in production agriculture. think about that. i mean, it is the bedrock of what we do in north dakota. and as the majority leader has said, it is part of our culture. we care deeply about this. that's witnessed by having two

senators from north dakota on the committee. we will have an amendment process here. i hope that we come out united to pass a farm bill and to make this process easy on the two who have done the most amount of work and that is chairman roberts and ranking member stavenau to get this across the finish line. i pledge my cooperation in helping achieve a farm bill before the 4th of july. i wanted to give the pitch for unity coming out of this committee. >> i thank the senator. senator danes. >> mr. chairman thank you. thank you for parental supervision to get us to this point and your hard work on this bill. this bill is good for montana farmers and ranchers. among other things, this bill will protect crop insurance. i hear a lot about that back home, provide much needed certainty in these turbulent times in the farming economy.

if you look at the notepad here, this is a committee on agriculture, nutrition and forestry. i do believe the forestry title could be stronger. it empowers state foresters. i do believe we could do more to restore active management of our forest. forestry is a crop. you plant it, you harvest it. i'd like to address three common misperceptions i often encounter as we think about national forest policy. first is that the timber wars of a previous generation are still going on today. if you believe that, put on your abba and olivia newton john music and have the debate. in reality, in montana and across the west, we are seeing extensive collaboration between conservation, wood product stake holders along with counties working together to determine

responsible forest management practices. we should not allow extremists to obstruct their work. this leads to the second myth. restoring active management is just a code phrase for hogging. actually, active management is critical to restoring healthy forests, which has widespread benefits, clean air, better fish and wildlife habitat, the outdoor economy. most important, active management enhances public safety by reducing the threat of wild fire. a healthy forest is a carbon sink. the third false impression is that accelerating restoration projects shortchanges the public process. it currently takes 18 to 24 months to do most environmental reviews. after that is done, many projects in montana are litigated, which could add years of delays. right now as i sit here this morning, 29 timber sales are currently impacted by fringe litigation. and unfortunately they have a

disproportionate voice in this city that stop a lot of common sense forest management reforms. reducing red tape and combatting chronic litigation does not erode public input. it safeguards it. it does so by ensuring the public feedback so the majority isn't obstructed. to be clear, robust engagement will still occur under every proposal i bring up today. with that i yield back my 13 seconds, mr. chairman. >> i appreciate that, senator. thank you. especially with your comments regarding forestry management, thank you for the job you do. >> thank you very much, mr. chairman. thank you for what could have been really a difficult thing. we saw what happened over in the house and the two of you rose above it all and got this bill done. thank you. senator mcconnell. thank you for your words.

we're excited about the hemp provision, and we're most excited this bill will go to the floor by the fourth of july, whereas my friend from iowa knows the corn is knee high by the fourth of july, shoulder high. in minnesota, it may be knee high. >> a generation ago it was knee high. now it's shoulder high. >> already. i'm using my time up for a song. there we go. okay. so our farmers are facing a lot right now. they are facing everything from low prices to some late weather in the midwest. we had snow in april in minnesota, a blizzard. we've got trade issues. and pork that goes to canada in our state. beef to south korea. corn and poultry to mexico. our ag producers sent 7.1

billion in ag products around the world. it makes it even more important that we come together with a solid and consistent farm policy out of the congress when they're facing those kinds of headwinds. we're glad that, mr. chairman, that the strong farm safety net is in and some of the changes to the arc program are good. i am glad the work that senator cornyn and i did together to lead to the permanent authorization for the national animal disease preparedness response and recovery program and this vaccine bank that everyone has referred to. we lost nine million turkeys in 23 minnesota counties as senator smith noted. so this is really important in the midwest. and we don't know when we're going to see the next disease or what it will be and we have to be prepared for that. our conservation programs are good. we got up one million acres. we'd like to see more. and our provision to fix the

loophole in the sod safer program is included. also the work we have done to make this bill as sophisticated as our farmers and the kind of technology we're using now to be able, with precision, the data we're collecting to allow that data to be shared which will lead to better conservation practices, but is also supported by our farmers because it could lead to less expensive production if we figure out how best to plant, how best to use water. those are exciting things in this bill. i want to thank also senator dane. we have a big track of forests in minnesota where my dad's hometown is up in northern minnesota. so thanks for all. all in all, this has been a great effort and really assigned to our rural communities that we're going to have some consistency coming out of the united states senate when that corn is knee high or shoulder high on the 4th of july. thank you. >> i thank the senator. senator purdue.

>> thank you, mr. chairman. united states is today one of three great bread baskets in the world and certainly a national security industry. it is the largest industry in my state and i fought to get on this committee for that reason. i want to thank you and the ranking member for your hard work on this farm bill, producing a product that balances the needs of every commodity in every region is not an easy task. i'm happy to see this draft attempts to do just that. as most of our members have done, i have traveled all over my state, the state of georgia listening to stakeholders. one thing is abundantly clear, this is a jobs bill. getting this farm bill across the finish line is a must for rural communities in my state and all over the country. that said, this bill is good, but it's not perfect. it's a solid common sense, fiscally responsible bill and i look forward to getting it

through the senate floor shortly. however, there is one area that as we go through the amendment process i think we need to pay attention to. electric cooperatives provide electricity to families across rural georgia. i'm very concerned about the financial impact of the rings to the rusts cushion of credit program currently included in the bill. it could cause electricity rates in georgia to increase dramatically. mr. chairman, i know members also share my concern. so i'd like to continue the conversation on how we can lesson the total impact of these changes to this program. again, i want to thank and i echo senator lahey's comments earlier. i have said this for three years. this is probably the most bipartisan committee i sit on. i appreciate the work that the ranking member and you, chairman roberts, have done to provide that background for the bill. i look forward to going through

the amendment process with you and hopefully get this done as we go into the 4th of july. >> i thank the senator. senator casey. >> i want to thank you and the ranking member for the work that farm bill. i can't imagine the number of hours you put in. we're grateful for that work. i live in a state where nearly 3.4 million people live in 48 rural counties, about 27% of our population. this bill makes important investments in rural pennsylvania communities, as well as those across the country. it provides, excuse me, provides our farmers with the certainty they need and deserve. it makes important changes to the farm safety net, ensures that those in need will not go hungry. i'm pleased that the bill establishes a farm to food bank program and makes it easier for

our farmers to access the senior food box program. the bill that this committee has crafted appropriately recognizes the diversity of american agriculture and makes investments in local and regional food systems, especially crops. provides permanent mandatory bias line funding for organic research. the bill also makes significant investments in conservation programs. it codifies the conservation reserve enhancement program, which is greatly important to the state of pennsylvania and increases funding for the regional conservation partnership program. i'm grateful for the pennsylvania priorities that are included in the bill. and i want to again commend the chair and the ranking member for their work and i want to thank adam, joyce and claire of my staff who did such good work.

thank you. >> thank you, senator. senator ernst. >> thank you very much. thanks, mr. chair. and of course thank you, ranking it member stabenow as well. also to the members of this committee for all of the diligent work over the past year. i know this has taken an incredible effort to get us here today. i am pleased we're taking this important step forward in supporting our farmers and ranchers and addressing many of the concerns i have heard from iowans as i tour this state. farmers are resilient. but when we're saddled, it does take a show. farmers and ranchers know we have their back. this maintains robust crop insurance, promotes soil health and water quality. however, the bill is not perfect. we must do more to help snap recipients rise up out of poverty. the u.s. economy is booming right now. for the first time on record the

number of job openings exceeds the number of americans looking for work. we must seize this opportunity to help folks become self-sufficient. mr. chairman, i would like to thank you and the ranking member to work with me to include a pilot or milk incentives in the managers package. the evidence is clear folks do lead healthier lives if they consume more milk and i know my dairy farmers will truly appreciate that. i know farm bills are forged through compromise. that's what you have done, mr. chair and ranking member, is work on that compromise. this committee looks for common ground where it can be found and in that spirit i appreciate the willingness to include this pilot. and i am hopeful this is just a first step forward on this important issue. we have a bill before us that will need hungry americans, protect our natural resources,

mitigate risk and support our rural jobs. with that said, let's roll up our sleeves. let's go on and get to work and give our farmers and ranchers and folks all across this great nation the certainty and predictability they need now and for many years to come. thank you very much, mr. chair. >> thank you, senator. senator bennett. >> i want to thank you for this farm bill but also for your leadership over many years. when the democrats were in charge here, we were able to pass a bipartisan farm bill that was the only fiscally responsible bill that congress passed in that time. we're doing it again with republican leadership. i'm so grateful that there is an oasis. thank you for being here. and if you want to send everything through the ag committee, we might find that we could actually get some important work done on behalf of the american people.

it is good to see. with the uncertainty on trade and on immigration in my state and with commodity prices where they are our farmers and ranchers desperately need this farm bill. not just to pass on the floor of the senate, but to pass through the house and be signed by the president. i am so grateful as i say for the leadership of this committee. i want to tick off a few things that are important to colorado, that are in this bill. first, the forestry title provide as variety of new tools to help the forest service partners and industry and other stakeholders better mapping our forests and restore priority watersheds, that's critical for us. second we placed a much-needed emphasis on soil health and innovative conservation in the conservation title and reward producers for taking steps to protect wildlife happen tat. in addition to improving risk management tools we provide new economic opportunities in rural

america by legalizing hemp. an important agricultural kmotty commodity. it's a testament to this crop that it is so, so widely supported in our country it grows everywhere. and it grows in colorado, and we've got many people who are farmers and ranchers that are looking at opportunities to manufacture, not just grow hemp, but to manufacture products for the american people, to add value and high-margin goods in rural parts of the united states. which is critically important to driving farm incomes, i look forward to our discussion, in this mark-up and the work that we will do together as republicans and democrats, on the floor to preserve this good piece of legislation. thank you, mr. chairman, for all of your leadership. >> i thank the senator. senator donnelly. >> thank you chairman roberts

and ranking member stabenow in the run-up to this committee developing the farm bill, ivied farms across the state and held meetings with stakeholders from nearly every segment of indiana's agricultural community. a students and researchers and anti-hunger advocates. i view myself as a hired help for hoosiers, i'm committed to writing a farm bill that works well for farmers in rural communities and addresses food insecurity. i heard repeatedly over the last year about the need to write a farm bill that helps manage the uncontrollable risks of farming, including protecting crop insurance and developing commodity programs that reflect market conditions. i heard about the importance of developing new market opportunities, particularly through supporting exports to markets around the world. i heard the strong passion of many hoosiers to promote voluntary conservation efforts, to improve soil health and water quality. i listened to hoosier who is

care deeply about supporting our communities, especially doing everything we can to fight the opioid epidemic. i talked with students and researchers and saw the benefits of investing in tomorrow's farmers and a technologies. and i visited with hoosier who is spend their time fighting hunger in our communities. the 2018 farm bill developed by this committee reflects those important priorities it protects crop insurance, helps fight the opioid epidemic, promotes voluntary conservation, develops new market opportunities. supports rural communities, and helps address food insecurity. it's not perfect and we have to work on a number of opportunities today. to improve it further. but it's a very good bill. it's a testament to the members of this committee, being able to work together, as advocates for agriculture. i thank the chairman and ranking member for their bipartisan efforts to get us here. i look forward to working together to get this farm bill across the finish line.

to give our farmers and communities the certainty they deserve. thank you, mr. chairman. >> i want to thank all members for their comments. the committee will proceed now to the consideration of s-3042 for amendment. by unanimous consent we adopt the robert stabenow committee print in the nature of a substitute to s-3042 that will be considered the original text for the purpose of amendment. so ordered. i offer a robert stabenow manager's amt amendment that's been distributed to all members and an end bloc amendment. all offices have been notified as to filed amendments and any modifications are include enbloc and a list of those amendments and modifications have been distributed to members, all of those in favor of the manager's amendment and amendments on the end bloc signify by saying aye. the ayes have it.

the committee will proceed by considering amendments to this bill, title by title in reverse. starting with title 12, and finishing with title 1. once finished with a title. we will move to consider amendments to the next title. in addition, we've agreed without objection that all amendments need to be jermaine have, been properly filed, maintain a budget-neutral bill. be free from earmarks and other than the substitute amendment which is the text of the mark, now in amendment form to not include significant matter outside this committee's jurisdiction. i would note that a relevant amendment to one title may open a different title in order to preserve an overall budget-neutral bill. senator stabenow, are you in agreement? >> i am. >> without objection, so ordered. the committee is open to any amendment to title 12.

>> mr. chairman? mr. chairman? >> yes. senator fisher? >> thank you, mr. chairman. i would like to call my amendment number 7 to eliminate duplicate pesticide permitting. this bipartisan amendment would address the duplicative permitting process creates unnecessary resource burdens, and challenges for pesticide registrants and users, including small businesses, local water authorities and the agriculture community. pesticides are critical for maintaining a healthy and viable environment by eliminating harmful and invasive pests. and that threaten the livelihoods of our a producers. fifers already requires the epa insure pesticides cause no reasonable adverse effects to humans or the environment.

the label is the law, users who do not follow the pesticide label are in violation of federal law, even without a water permit. additionally as a result of costly compliance regulations and the increase in clean water act liability many rural communities and small municipalities are being forced to reduce or cancel their mosquito control programs. this places families at risk for devastating mosquito-borne diseases like west nile virus, yellow fever and malaria. state agencies have testified that clean water permits offer no additional environmental benefits, because pesticide rekss are received and regulated through a stringent approval process, furthermore, the epa under administrator gina mccarthy in the obama administration, also agreed that they could adequately manage pesticides under fifra and they

don't need the mpds component. this amendment clarifies congressional intent that the clean water act and mpds permits should not be considered for application of pesticides approved by the epa and authorized for sale, distribution and use under fifra. i want to thank senators heitkamp and bozeman for co-sponsoring this amendment. i recognize there's a difference of opinion on this committee on including common sense regulatory reform measures at the time. so i will not ask for a roll call vote. however, i hope we can resolve this longstanding issue as we look to floor action. mr. chairman, i would withdraw the amendment. >> i thank the senator. and i thank my colleague, my neighbor to the north. for raising this issue. it should be an issue that is very important to all of us.

it's very important to me. i thank you for your leadership. we will continue this discussion as the bill proceeds are, there any other amendments to title 12? >> mr. chairman. >> i would like to call up heitkamp amendment number 6, this may seem like it's a little esoteric and unique to north dakota. but i think it's critical to have a discussion about two issues. one is state's rights in the state's ability to regulate who owns farm land. it is critically important we keep, i think actually keep input costs down. i think senator grassley in his opening comment talked about land prices and talked about the growth in land prices, it's been part of north dakota's heritage for a lot of years to not allow corporations to own farmland. that has helped keep farmland in the hands of family farmers. it has helped reflect, i think, a longstanding policy.

unfortunately, in spite of a consistent position from the state legislature, consistent position from the voters of our state who have systematically voted to maintain this policy. there's a pending court case that uses the dormant commerce clause, not something that's in favor by this court, but the dormant commerce clause to argue because it would burden interstate commerce and because this body hasn't acted to prevent it, that this law would in fact be in violation of congressional policies, regarding control of interstate commerce so there's a federal connection, if we pass my amendment what would actually happen is the court would then be sent a signal that we respect the 10th amendment. we respect state's rights, we respect the ability of states to make these determinations on their own. recognizing that this is fairly esoteric and recognizing that i haven't yet been able to find a

co-sponsor for this amendment, i withdraw it but i wanted to raise it just to help educate about how critically important it is to let states regulate the ownership of the land within their jurisdiction. it wouldn't prevent corporate farming, it would just say the states get to decide. thank you, mr. chairman, i withdraw my amendment. >> senator stabenow? >> i wanted to thank senator heitkamp for fighting for her farmers in north dakota and around the country we know this needs further work and committed to working with you on this. but i understand and appreciate how strongly you're fighting for them. >> i thank the senator, are there any other amendments to title 12? senator thune? >> i would call up thune amendment number 5. this amendment would grant the usda secretary discretion to improve soil moisture monitoring by increasing the number of monitoring stations or by using

other cost-effective soil moisture measuring devices, it also would require usda agencies to use consistent precipitation monitoring data, and drought assessment across programs that usda administers. for the past two years, in western south dakota precipitation monitoring has been inconsistent resulting in some livestock producers not being eligible for raising assistance from the usda. i'm sure this is a problem that isn't unique to south dakota, but occurs in other sparsely populated areas this is something that i heard rather consistently from livestock producers in western south dakota. and who might in some cases be on adjacent farms or certainly adjacent counties that are treated very differently because the methodology used by usda is very inconsistent. the bill received a zero score from the congressional budget office. i think it's something that from a practical standpoint makes a

lot of sense and certainly would provide some uniformity and consistency to this process. in states like mine where we have it seems like a recurring issues with drought. we certainly had that in 2012 and last year in 2017. and i'm sure it will happen again. it's nice to have good data to work from. i think this amendment makes sense and i would ask for the committee's support. >> debate on the amendment. the question is on ate dopgs of the amendment. signify by saying aye? the ayes have it. are there further amendments to title 12? >> mr. chairman. i have one other, amendment i would like to discuss, and i will withdraw it. because i understand that

there's some objections have been raised to it. this would allow, this is a thune amendment number 6 an it would allow meat and poultry products processed at fsis-approved state and mpi-inspected facilities to be sold across state lines. all meat and poultry products sold for human consumption inspected by the food safety inspection service, fsis allows states to create mpi programs and requires the state inspection programs to be equal to federal meat and poultry inspection programs. currently there are 27 states with fsis-approved meat and/or poultry inspection programs. state-mpi-inspected facilities are not allowed to be sold across state lines. farm bureau and u.s. cattlemen support this amendment. mr. chairman, and it's something, it's similar to a

piece of legislation offered by my colleaguing in south dakota, senator rounds and senator king from maine. but i would in the interest of moving the bill forward. ask that we have an opportunity to discuss this further perhaps for some action on the floor and i withdraw the amendment. >> i thank the senator -- >> mr. president or mr. chairman? >> is there an additional amendment to title 12? >> no, i would like to ask senator thune a question, is the opposition that's shown up from, is it from the big packers that don't want the competition from the in-state smaller processors? >> well i'm told that there are livestock groups and who were the other -- folks that were -- >> yeah. >> of course the packers. >> is it because the livestock groups are fronting for the big packers? >> the senator from iowa may be on to something there.

>> senator from iowa wish to say anything more? >> i've got to wait until a staff person gets here and then i've got something i want to say about a couple of things. >> is that a confession or? >> further amendments to title 12? if not, we proceed to title 11. are there any amendments to title 1 1?

>> mr. chairman if i might just ask, i know that senator klobuchar has an amendment she wants to offer and i believe she may be in judiciary. and so if it would be possible to put aside title 11 and go on and come back to it when she's here, that would be terrific. >> certainly. >> are there any further amendments to title 11? hearing none, amendments to title 10?

>> mr. chairman? >> senator perdue? i'd like to offer my amendment perdue 2 to title 10, i won't be asking for a vote. i think there is some opposition and the conversation should continue. i want to highlight the importance of this potential amendment and look forward to working with the committee on it the purpose of my amendment is to codify the exclusive role of state lead agencies, not political subdivisions as pesticide co-regulators with the epa. while congress clearly intended to states regulate sale distribution and use, courts have interpreted otherwise, this amendment would make sure each state has one set of regulations in pesticides, for pesticides, rather than a patchwork of different standards in 89,000 cities and towns in the pests aren't constrained by arbitrarily drawn borders or political subdivision.

restricting pesticide use in one low calty jeopardizes public health as well as surrounding areas. this amendment does not prevent a state lead agency prosecute prescribing how pesticides are used within that state nor does it stop property managers from deciding if they will safely use pest management tools inning, on and around public properties that they own or manage. it's a scientifically sound and pro growth policy for the states to regulate pesticides, not hundreds of overlapping government relations. because there is some controversy or around this, disagreement around this, i will be withdrawing, i do withdraw that, mr. chairman, thank you. >> further amendments to title 10? >> are there any amendments to title 9? >> mr. chairman, if i might, i know that senator klobuchar also

has an amendment to title 9, the energy title. i know she's on her way back. if you'd be willing to move on, that would be terrific. >> senator babbitt. i'd like to call up bennett amendment number 16, regarding funding and technical assistance for carbon and biogas utilization this amendment seeks to build out usda initiatives to make it easier for the industries that want to use carben and biogas to access government resources. it provides a modest amount of funding for competitive grants to overcome some barriers of carbon utilization. we've heard it's difficult for small biogas producers to put in place cost effective systems to collect their waste. this amendment would provide competitive grants to help determine cost effectiveness of gathering organic waste from a number of sources to a single system and provides coordination between the usda and the department of energy. i've heard there were some

concerns about the biogas task force vision, an earlier version of this amendment. i've since eliminated that language based on conversations i had with your staff and others, i spoke to the national pork producers' council and others they're comfortable with it. >> i'd like to thank senator smith from minnesota for joining me, a co-sponsor of the amendment supported by the national farmers union and the american biogas council. i'd like to thank you, mr. chairman and the ranking member of your staffs for working with me on this important issue. with that i would ask for a voice vote of this committee. >> all those in favor of senator bennett's amendment will significantfy by saying aye. the ayes have it.

further amendments to title 9? are there any amendments to title 8? >> mr. chairman. >> senator danes. >> i call up danes amendment 1. this amendment builds on the reforms that were made in the omnibus, by more fully adopting the position taken by the obama administration, in the cottonwood environmental law center versus the u.s. forest service. it would clarify the consultation requirements between the forest service and the u.s. fish and wildlife service after the agencies received new information relating to impacted species, i want to remind the committee that the obama administration fully supported what i'm trying to do here. senator tester has been a co-sponsor of a bill i've introduced to the same effect. the obama administration said the cottonwood decision has the potential to cripple land management. this amendment helps to further

address that concern. unfortunately, frankly some of the extreme interests have gotten their way in and it stopped doing the reforms of the obama administration, senator tester and i support. i realize there's who discussion to be had. i withdraw this amendment and look forward to working on this issue as the farm bill goes to the floor. >> has the senator withdrawn the amendment? >> i withdrew it. >> does the senator wish to be recognized for any further amendment? >> i don't. >> are there amendments, any further members title 8? any of the amendments to title 7. come 11. amendments to title 7? amendments to title 6?

hearing no amendments, we move to title 5. hearing no amendments, we move to title 4. hearing no amendments, we move to title 3. >> mr. chairman? >> senator heitkamp? >> yes -- senator heitkamp, if you will hold for senator hoven. so you want to go back to title 5? >>-day. >> senator heitkamp, why don't you introduce your amendment to title 3 and we'll come back to title 5. >> i'll call up my amendment to title 3. heitkamp amendment 1. supported by senators bozeman,

leahy, klobuchar and bennett. this would open up the opportunity to trade into cuba. using the trade promotion programs, that are available to any other producer who wants to promote their product in any country that we have relationships with. i think it is high time that we explore that market. it's somewhat ironic that i would be the person pursuing it, because i think the great opportunity here is in rice and some of the southern crops, but i think this is a critical component of building those relationships that will help us establish a trade relationship with a country that is only 90 miles off our shore. so i'm hopeful that we can finally close this chapter on our relationship with kubba. open up this opportunity for to your farmers and ranchers to promote their products and to sell, i think we can all agree that one of the great concerns

we have right now is market disruption and exports, we know we grow more in this country than what we can possibly consume and growing markets is absolutely critically important to improving our commodity prices. and so mr. chairman i'd ask for a roll call vote. >> as i speak to people in the country i have consistently heard that one answer to the challenging economic times we are facing is in regard to strong trade policies or a trade policy that is has concessions, i've travelled to cuba at least three times. in my memory. and witnessed firsthand both the opportunities and the challenges that exist in developing cuba as a market for u.s. agriculture. we need a trade policy in the united states that provides certainly and stability as we look forward to normalizing trade between the united states and cuba, we need to take a

measured and realistic approach. one that takes into account the responsibility investment of taxpayer dollars and encourages americans to use the practices of free trade and commerce. i continue to work with my colleagues to strengthen and grow the markets for our farmers. i think we can pass this by a voice vote if the senator would agree. >> mr. chairman, i'd being thrilled if we could pass this by a voice vote. >> all of those in favor of the heitkamp amendment signify by saying aye? the ayes have it. go back to title 5 and senator hogan? >> mr. chairman, i'd like to call up a man that hoven 1. it amends the amount of the fsa loan guarantee, which is

currently 1.39 million and increases it it to 2.5 million. it increases the direct loan from 300,000 or 600,000. the reason we're changing it to those amounts is that's what both the commodity groups and the financial institutions have asked for based on the needs of our farmers and ranchers at this time. and so the i also have included another amendment, hoven 10, which is one that i worked with senator klobuchar, as well, that's at 1 billion.75 million,s what the house passed rlgs i would like the committee to consider the 2.5 million because then they're going to end up at something more the 1.75. at 1.75 you're not increasing it much. this is what the following

groups have asked for. and it includes almost all the kmotty groups, the nooshl corn growers, national association of wheat-degreers, soybean producers, national potato council and also the financial groups, american bankers association, independent community banks, natural rural lenders association. national association of credit specialists and in our state, just a whoet litany of groups, that's why i'd like us to consider the 2.5 million. remember when we go to committee we're going to be negotiating, they're at 1.75. when you look at going from 1.4, to something between 1.75 and probably 2.5. if we can pass it. given one that that's what all the groups are saying they need

out there. when you looked, we're not going up that much. in fact it really is based on what it cost to farm these days. and so that's really the difference, the two amendments, that's the difference is trying to increase that a little more in line with the requests we have received. >> miss klobuchar, we have worked on many things successfully and we're still trying to get those worked out. i want to thank senator hoven. we came out with the same intention, changes in farming and limits. thousand do we make sure that all the money isn't used up by just the big farmers and there's still money for some of the starting farmers and smaller farmers. i'm doing a sesk agreement to hovan amendment one. it would increase the loan

limits from the current camp of $1.39 million. to $1.75 million. this would amend would also increase limits, lifting the cap on direct ownership from 300,000 to 600,000 and on direct operating from 300,000 to 400,000. i note that this amendment also includes important language that i worked on with senator hoven to increase the data we have on borers and participation rate. i asked my fellow members is that in the end, we know how important this is and we went into it without intention. >> further debail on the second degree amendment. >> all signify by saying no. the ayes have the committee now. is the hoven amendment.

by senator klobuchar, all those in favor of that amendment, signify by saying aye? opposed no? the ayes have it. are there further amendments to title 5? take into consideration of this bill that we go back to title 12. or is it title 11. zpli think senator grassley wanted to say something. >> senator grassley do you wish to say anything in regard to amendment 12. >> something deal with the health farming act. >> you are recognized. >> so this bill procedurally,

more than substance, but also a part of it on substance, because i support industrial ham. i object to this bill being amended to the farm bill on several grounds, procedurally the bill is way out of order, it it was first introduced in april, bypassed referral to the judiciary committee and was placed on the legislative counter. now the bill is being taken up on this committee. i objected on procedural grounds, this bill is squarely within the judiciary jurisdiction. hemp is a controlled substance that's subject to the provision of title one. i disagree how hemp is defineded under the bill. the bill opens up legalized hemp to include quote derivatives,

extracts and cannaboids of the plant t plant. cbd is a chemical in the plant that can be extracted and used to treat everything from anxiety to epilepsy. things that i have found my constituents say they've got some good results from. but how it's handled for the safety of the individuals is posh to me. i have a big that provides a narrow regulated pathway to the beneficial effects of cbd and for a process to make responsible products that would be rekted for the fab. today's bill would allow any snake oil salesman to now up and buy any dietary is upment.

it will be put children at risk and a couple of years ago i had a hearing on that very subject. before the judiciary committee about the quality. i have constituents with epileptic children, who are desperate for answers, these folks will turn to anything to help their children if it means taking inordinate risks by buying products that run tested, unproven and potentially harmful. my bill would provide assurances that safe responsible products with put on the shelves after the proper research and test something done and the necessary approvals are met. so i ask mr. chairman and members of this committee to at least work with me to modify this provision after this bill gets out of committee so that children's health isn't threatened, i'm done, mr. chairman. >> i thank the senator, senator mcconnell.

>> i understand the concerns that my friend has. and as a result of that, we consulted with the justice department, we got suggestions from the food and drug administration, suggested the ranking member of the judiciary committee and suggestions from the chairman of the judiciary committee. we appreciate their input and in fact we incorporated a number of their suggestions. so let me outline them and this is a as a result of discussions with the ranking member and the food and drug administration. first, clarified that the secretary of agriculture can, can skulgt with the attorney general in reviewing proposed state and travel plans for growing hemp. an issuing regulations and in issuing guidance. second, the clarified that the legislation does not alter the food, drug and cosmetic act, nor

does it alter the ability of the fda to enforce the food, drug and cosmetic act. we've improved the sbeg regular of the hump program. who conduct oversight of the program and those who seek to participate in the program are honest and truthful and not been convicted of a felony drug offense. what i have not included, i've declied to include suggestions that would undercut the essential premise of the bill. neighborly that hemp and its derivatives should be a legal agricultural committee just like it was in the you sats especially as it did and has beto do so again being in my home state of kentucky, overseen

by state or but not the department of justice, i asked my colleagues to support the underlying provisions and i appreciate the suggestions that the chairman of the judiciary committee made. we took into account a number of those, but obviously kmoes not to include all of his suggestions. thank you, mr. chairman. >> i think the leader and i thank both senators, their comments are a duly noted and we go now about back to title 1 1 and senator klobuchar. >> thank you very much. i'd like to request a voice vote on klobuchar amendment 4 as modified. sod saver provisions is something senator thune and i have worked on for many years, they were expanded in the 2014 farm bill to include states in the prairie pot hole region including minnesota, south dakota, north dakota, montana and nebraska. the modified amendment would maintain sod saver in those states while gichk governors around the country the option of opting in to the program.

in their own state. i'd ask the chairman for his commitment to continue to work with me and senator thune to expand provisions to additional states as the bill moves to the floor. do we have your commitment, mr. chair to continue to work with us? >> everyone around this table, and for that matter in farm country knows that i support, maintain improving crop insurance, it's the number one issue we heard from farmers, ranchers, growers, all across this country. number one. i believe senator stabenow and i were able to accomplish that in the mark before us in the provision to address sod saver. the amendment would make technical change tossed the sod saver provisions to the 2014 farm bill by clarifying circumstances that reductions in benefits will apply. well i have concerns with expanding the sod saver requirements beyond the current six states, i think the

amendment does strike a good balance by providing the expansion nationwide only, only if governors approve the policy change in their state. i appreciate the senators for working with us to alleviate the concerns from producers and the crop insurance industry. i can support the amendment and will continue to work with members on this provision. as we move forward to the floor, all those in favor of the klobuchar amendment will signify by saying aye. those opposed, no, the ayes have it. >> senator thune? >> mr. chairman, i would echo what the senator from minnesota said we worked on this issue for some time and we appreciate your help. >> the senator is recognized. >> thank you. and we, we appreciate the committee adopting in the base bill, the base text, a provision that closes the yield substitution loophole which was a way in which folks have found a way around the sod saver

provisions in the previous farm bill so that has been tightened up, which is a good thing, we would love to see this go nationwide. but i think the amendment that's been offered extends to states that certainly make sense and so we appreciate your good faith commitment to work with us as we continue to advance this and appreciate your support of this amendment. thanks. >> i thank the senator. we go back to title 9 and i recognize senator danes. >> and also senator klobuchar. >> senator danes, do you want to go first? >> klobuchar. >> mr. chairman, this is where i'm going to withdraw the amendment, not ask for a vote.

this is klobuchar number 2, the renewable fuel standard is important to minnesota and reports indicate that dozens of waivers have been granted to large companies, reducing the 15 billion gallon target for the rvo, the renewable volume obligations, these actions hurt not only biofuel producers, but farmers across the u.s. at a time when farm income is at its lowest since 2006. the secretary of agriculture has deemed these waivers demand destruction for biofuels. senator grassley as i led a letter and i appreciate the work that senator ernst has done on this, to administrator pruitt in april expressing our concerns with some of these actions, the number of waivers that used to be issued each year was between six to eight for extraordinary reasons. but recent reports have noted that the epa has already issued 25 disproportionate hardship waivers this year. i'm not asking for a vote, but i will continue to work to assure

that additional actions are not taken that undermine the rfs and harm minnesota producers. >> i understand, senator klobuchar, that you have another amendment. >> second-degree amendment. >> no. >> wait a minute. i would like to follow up on her, if i could. >> thank you. >> yesterday, pruitt was in kansas. >> can you wait three minutes go, ahead. >> pruitt was in kansas. >> the news reports is he says he has the authority for when waivers are given for those gallons that aren't mixed because of that waiver. that he can reallocate. >> in november of last year, several senators around this table and maybe some senators that aren't around the table. met with him and he gave us a november 13th or november letter saying what he had authority to do or not do. and we got 15 billion gallons

promised. that's what the law requires. that's what the president of the united states said in january. 2016 to the iowa renewable fuels association in des moines when he was a candidate. that he wanted the maximum amount that the law would allow to be pursued by epa. if he was president. he's president now. so pruitt through these uses of waivers, has a 15 billion gallons down to 13.8 billion so the president's promise is not being carried out by the person he appointed. pruitt is ill-serving the president of the united states. by not carrying that out. and i would like to see all of these 25 waivers that he's given -- >> yeah. >> now that he says he's allowed to do it, get them reallocated. right now we have to start looking to 2019, because we're, 2018 is just about beyond us. so they're working right now on

the 15 billion gallons, or whatever they're going to propose, we don't know what they're going to propose, but to keep the president's promise, they better propose 15 billion gallons and we better know now that the waivers are grantsed ahead of time and those waivers, then do not subtract from the 15 billion gallons, they're reallocated and we get what the president promised. >> i couldn't have put it better. >> i think the, i think perhaps the president heard you. >> mr. chairman, i want to associate myself with senator grassley's comments. >> very good. >> thank you senator grassley for backing up my amendment. >> i want to make clear that you, he indicated i raise my voice, i'm not mad at anybody. >> that's just how you talk. because when you're on the farmland, you got to yell so people hear you, i get it. >> that's his inside voice. >> i want to thank the senator from iowa, i meet him almost

every morning to have a glass of ethanol and it warms you right up. >> mr. chairman, unless you want to keep going on this? >> please. >> i would like to call up klobuchar amendment number 1, a modification, and my amendment would restore mandatory funding for energy title programs at 2014 levels and reimburse dairy producers, this is what senator gillibrand was referring to, margin program premiums for 2015, 2016 and 2017, as we know dairy has been very hard hit. in the 2014 farm bill, i successfully pushed for a strong energy title with the funding necessary to continue to support home-grown fuels, worked with senator hoven on that, which supported thousands of jobs and dollars in economic growth. the new spending in the amendment would be offset by eliminating the economic

adjustment assistance for cotton users, a proposal that was recommended in the president's physical year 2019 budget. the amendment cbo score shows it saves nine million over ten years. this amendment continues programs that incentivize home grown energy production and help provide immediate assistance to struggling dairy farmers, i urge its adoption, i understand it could go by voice vote. >> the amendment would provide mandatory funding for programs. those include the following, energy programs, biomass research and development initiative. bite yoe base markets program. bite yoe refinery renewable chemical and manufacturing assistance program. the bioenergy program for advanced biofuels and the biomass crop assistance program. it also provides support for dairy producers who try using the market protection program in the first three years of the program before it was modified

by congress and again by the mark i am permitted to working on behalf of bettering all regions, all crops in providing funding to these programs is clearly a priority for several senators on this committee. senator stabenow? >> i want to support this amendment. thank senator klobuchar for her terrific leadership on this. and this really builds on what we did as well in the last farm bill and it's, this is a jobs amendment. it's about the rural bioeconomy, it's about jobs in rural me. these programs have leveraged more than $5 billion in private investments since 2009. i want to thank senator klobuchar for her great work and mr. chairman for working with you on this. as you mentioned there are a number of important issues on here. i would also indicate that very pleased that senator gillibrand's priority is in this package to help our small dairies. that were not able to use the

new program that the last farm bill on dairy. so this is very positive as well. thank you. >> is there further -- >> mr. chairman? >> senator bozeman? >> i've got sympathy for what the senator is trying to do the problem is to pay for. the economic adjustment assistance program. is a very popular program. it's kept many mills across the country in business. and certainly this is a jobs situation also. currently 44 companies in 14 states participate in the program. many states are represented on this committee. for that reason i would encourage a no vote and work to at some point see if we can find a different pay for. >> mr. chairman, i appreciate the senator's sentiment. we can work together. but i think the reason we have such strong support for this on this committee is $3 billion was set aside for cotton in the last budget which is significantly more than some of these other programs.

that's why given what we're facing in the midwest right now. with the prices and the lowest prices since 2006 and the issues that senator grassley has so nicely identified, that we're dealing with on the biofuels side, we think this is very important. and we've lost so many of our dairy farmers. >> mr. chairman. >> i think it's correct to state that 3 billion was set aside for dairy. cotton was budget-neutral. >> to clarify the record. i know there was a buy-down in there for cotton. >> the only thing i would say is again, there are many individuals that will be affected by this 44 companies, 14 states, again many of them sitting on this committee. >> is there further conversation of this amendment? i want to say to both senators,

i want to keep working on pay-fors as we move forward. and i am committed to working on behalf of bettering all regions and all crops and a situation where we are trying to improve one region, but it poses clearly some problems to another. >> could we get a vote on the amendment? >> i'm suggesting that we simply have a voice vote. but if the gentleman would like a roll call vote, okay. all those in favor of the klobuchar amendment, will signify by saying aye? >> as opposed no? no. >> the ayes have it in the opinion of the chair. is there any other amendment to

title 9? we're going to go back to title 5. any amendments to title 5? any amendments to title 4? any amendments on title 3? title 2? >> go ahead, deb. >> mr. chairman, senator leahy is not here and asked me if i would offer an amendment that's been modified. i understand we may be able to take on a voice vote. that and i would just, this would give livestock and dairy farmers flexibility to prioritize implementation of the

environmental quality incentives program, whole farm plan. and would provide more time for livestock and dairy producers to complete their required whole farm management plans. and so i would offer that on behalf of senator leahy and ask for support. >> all those in favor? of the leahy amendment. please signify by saying aye? in the opinion of the chair, thee ayes have it senator thune? >> mr. chairman, this is thune number 9. this amendment provides several improvements to crp. and is supported by ducks unlimited, pheasants forever and the national farmers' union. very simply what it would do is increase acreage, the base or the crp acreage today is capped at 24 million acres, the base bill has it at 25 this would increase that to 26 and a quarter million acres.

and at the same time provide much-needed haying and grazing flexibility by allowing one-third of a contract holder's acres to be hayed or grazed each year on a rotational basis this bill lowers the rental rate to 85 % of rental rates on general crp contracts, but keeps it at 80.5% for all continuous crp contracts. i work closely with production agriculture and conservation wildlife organizations to craft these changes that improve crp. without damaging its conservation wildlife habitat potential. so that's pretty much it. it allows as i said, increase in the cap from what the current cap is 24 million. the base bill, which is 25. this raises is a million and a quarter acres and provides what i think is much-needed flexibility when it comes to the management of those acres in a way that is supported by not

only those who benefit directly from it, but all the other groups that also are on the in environmental groups. so i would ask the committee to approve it. >> senator stabenow. >> mr. chairman, first i appreciate investment what senator thune is trying to achieve. at this point, though, i would say our bill provides an increase in crp to 25 million acres, both the chairman and i found a way to increase the crp acres to this level without cutting rental rates so low that it would make the program less attractive to producers. i know there is a number of concerns at this time. so, mr. chairman, i would stand with you and the balanced agreement we have on funding for the conservation title and oppose this amendment at this time. >> mr. chairman.

>> senator thune. >> it's not just the increase in the acres, which, again, is something that we think makes a lot of sense, but there are some things in current law that absolutely make no sense and i for the -- i have not for the time i've been involved with this program and with farm bills been able to figure out why under mid contract management practices usda has required that this cover on crp acres be harvested or destroyed. even during years of severe drought and hay shortages. and we find ourselves as we did in 2012 and 2017 going to usda and begging for emergency authority to hay and graze some of these acres, which we did eventually get both in 2012 and 2017. that authority was granted to hay and graze environmentally sensitive acres without any adverse effects. so this is an amendment that

brings some -- some much needed flexibility to crp acres by allowing farmers a third, a third, a third, every three years or i should say take a third of crp acres in any given year and be able to hay those, also with the reduction in payments, commensurate to that, or to graze those acres in the same way and, again, it's something that we find at least in our part of the country where crp is utilized rather extensively under these mid contract management practices they have to destroy this. it's a valuable commodity and particularly in years where you have a drought. so it gets rid of the need for mid contract management practices, it gets rid of the need for emergency haying and grazing in drought years. this is an amendment that i think ask not only going to be very popular, it is very popular

with producers, but also, as i said, is supported by all the environmental and conservation and wildlife production groups including ducks unlimited and pheasants forever. the reduction in the rate on regular crp acres goes from 88.5% which is in the base bill to 85%. we keep it at 88.5% for continuous crp acres which is something i think you all wanted us to do, but we think that the groups are supportive of having this rental rate at 85% in order to get the increase in the acreage and the flexibility that would come with this amendment. >> i want to thank senator thune for offering this amendment. i know that the crp program is especially important to you and to south dakota as it is in my state of kansas. as a matter of fact, i was one of the original co-sponsors of

the conservation reserve program back in the day. i am concerned about the effect of such drastic changes to the current policy especially in light of the rental rate reduction and the underlying bill. having said that i'm going to recognize senator stabenow for a suggestion. >> mr. chairman, first of all, i think the thune amendment has a lot of provisions that i agree with and that i would support and i think i would suggest that we work together on the floor to find a modified way to be able to afford in its entirety it would change the balance of what we're trying to do, but there are important provisions that i would agree with in terms of how this has been operating. and so i don't know if senator

thune if you want to go ahead with the vote at this point, certainly we could work together as well. either way. >> i would just add that you have the commitment of both senator stabenow and myself to work with you on the floor to get -- to get this amendment worked out. >> the only thing i would say based on my observations about the floor these days is it's unlikely. it goes tun to 29%.

the number in the house bill on crp acres is 29 million acres. and the rate goes down to 80%. we keep it at 88.5 for continuous sign-up acres and go to 85 on other crp acres, but in addition to raising the cap a little bit, which only goes part way to where the house is -- i mean, the house is at 29. we'd be at 26.25 under this, is these changes in the management practices, which i frankly think are long overdue. so if you're willing to work with me to get it as a part of a manager's package when we go to the floor, that would be one thing. but i'm not sure that a commitment to allow us to offer it on the floor is something that either of you probably are maybe in a position to offer up. >> senator stabenow. >> mr. chairman, just one further thing. we don't know exactly how the process will be on the floor, certainly. but i would say that just for the record, the wildlife organizations are not uniformly for this. there's differences of opinion that i would like to see worked out. so at this point, i appreciate very much what you're saying.

can't support this at this point, as it is written. we can continue to see if there are pieces of it -- >> senator klobuchar. >> mr. chairman, i just want to clarify there was sort of a -- there's a middle ground here. it was 3 billion for cotton, but it was paid for, as you point out. the dairy number wasn't 3 billion. it was 1 billion. so we'll continue to work with you. thank you. >> senator thune. >> what was the question, mr. chairman? >> do you wish to proceed with a voice vote on this? >> well, again, i'm not sure which wildlife organization center senator stabenow was

referring to. we worked closely in the past on the grazing provisions with wildlife federation. so to my understanding and knowledge, those groups are supportive of what we're trying to accomplish here with respect to these changes in the management practice on crp acres. >> we've recently received indication from the national wildlife federation that they are not supportive. so that's what's raising concerns for me. >> let me just say that despite our best efforts, senator stabenow and myself can't guarantee certainty on the floor, but it is our intention to work with you to see if we can't continue to address the concerns that the senator has mentioned. and i want to say i'm concerned about the effect with regards to the rate reduction and the underlying bill. i appreciate the senator for working so hard on this. i think most of his legislation

certainly -- senator, it's up to you. would you like a vote? >> well, mr. chairman, if you are willing to, when we get to the floor on this, consider some of these changes, if there's a change that we can make that, you know, in the past like i said, wildlife federation has been supportive of most of the things we've tried to do when it comes to these contracts. to get this flexibility, i'd be willing to work with you on that. i have been trying for years to get usda to change this mid contract management practice, which to me absolutely makes no sense why you would have to destroy or burn what is very valuable hay, particularly in years when it has great value for people who need it in a

drought. so to me, the limit or the cap is one issue, but the flexibility is the other. so if the chairman is willing to work with us on the floor -- >> i'm certainly willing. i would just say that -- and now we're in the middle of a drought, just as you are up north. but i am certainly willing to do exactly that. >> all right. >> and i know that senator stabenow does as well. >> mr. chairman, i'd like to express my support for the amendment and certainly hope something can be worked out on the floor. >> i appreciate your comment, sir. >> all right. with that assurance and commitment, mr. chairman, i'll withdraw the amendment here. >> i appreciate that, senator thune. >> thank you. any other amendment in title two? save the best for last. title one. >> mr. chairman.

>> that's the intent, if i can -- >> mr. chairman. >> here we go. >> mr. chairman. >> senator thune. >> title one. i'm sure you're tired of hearing from me on this, but i think as you and senator stabenow know, we've been trying for some time to find a way, and i've been working with senator brown on legislation that would make the art program workable. i'm disappointed that we haven't been able to do that as i expressed in my opening statement.

if you look at the entire nation after the 2014 farm bill, 77% of farmers in this country adopted the art program. i think the reason for that was because it provides both price protection and protection for production losses as well. so we don't -- we will not have now going forward a program in title one that provides revenue protection, that provides protection not only against price loss but also production loss. i think that's unfortunate. we tried as recently as last night, we were trying to get scores from cbo. we didn't get scores until late last night on several proposals that we had to try and make the program workable.

we think they're common sense changes, but we have not been able at this point to come up with an amendment that we think gets the job done. so i want to continue to revisit this issue. i felt for some time, too, that we need to make some changes in the commodity title, one of the ways we had proposed paying for this was with a base update which again, you know, we have thousands of acres of land that haven't been cropped for years or even decades, and some of that land is planted to grass or graze, yet it's earning commodity title payments. with the limited funding in this farm bill, it makes sense, in my view, to target funds where they really need to go. that's to those who are actually farming the land. but again, because we have been unable in the short amount of time since the bill's introduction to the mark-up to get scores from cbo to put us in a position to offer amendment

that we think could pass and actually accomplishes the desired goal, i'm not going to offer the amendment that was thune amendment number 12. i say that, withdraw it, and again express my disappointment that we were unable in the base bill to get something adopted that would keep that program which was chosen by 77% of the farmers in this country in place because i think it's going to be something that they will miss. thank you. >> senator brown? >> in the interest of time, i'll just simply associate myself with senator thune's comments and appreciate the work he's done on this for title one. we need to continue these market oriented reforms and hope we can move forward and get this discussion, turn it into real language on the floor. so thank you. >> i know senator thune and senator brown have been working extremely hard to improve the agriculture program. it is a much-needed program. in kansas, 75% of our farmers chose it over poc. i have a feeling since that was during what we call the good times in agriculture and the arc

program protects revenue, that perhaps with the way prices are today that farmers might want to at least consider the poc program. i've heard the calls from both of these senators, and we've tried to work together to incorporate as many of the proposed changes as possible into the mark. the mark includes multiple improvements to arc, including increases the substitute yields to 75%, requires the use of trend adjusted yields and several technical changes. i do have concerns with the far-reaching impacts of changes to the price loss coverage, reference prices. i would have to oppose the amendment in its current form, but i understand your primary focus is improving arc.

i share your concern in that regard. i'd like to continue to work with you as we head to the senate floor to consider further changing to commodity programs that provide producers more certainty and predictability. so i appreciate the senator withdrawing the amendment. i would only add that in its current form, kansas would lose 436,000 acres in their acreage base. the same thing would happen in oklahoma and other areas of the high plains. i think texas is over a million. then it spreads around to the southern states. it gets back to, i think, one of my original comments that i hope we can improve all programs but not at the expense of others. with that, i look forward to working with senator thune and senator brown to see what we can

achieve. any other further amendments? i note that a reporting quorum is present. if there's no further debate or amendment, as 42 be reported as favorably amended, is there a second? >> second. >> all in favor signify by saying aye. all those opposed saying no. does anybody wish a roll call vote? given this situation, why don't we ask the clerk to call the rol

the vote is on final passage. senator grassley, i think your amendment was not in final form. at least that's my understanding. i'm sorry for that. >> we had to rewrite the amendment a little bit this morning to satisfy you, and we don't have the 45 copies. so go ahead and vote. >> i note that a reporting quorum is present. i move that s 3042 be reported favorably as amended. >> senator stabenow. >> yes. >> senator leahy. >> aye. >> senator brown. >> aye. >> senator klobuchar. >> aye. >> senator bennett. >> aye. >> senator gillebrand. >> aye by proxy. >> senator donnelly. >> aye. >> senator heitkamp.

>> aye. >> senator casey. >> aye. >> senator smith. >> aye. >> senator mcconnell. >> by proxy. >> senator boseman. >> aye. >> senator hoven. >> aye. >> senator ernst. >> aye. >> senator grassley. >> no. >> senator thune. >> aye. >> senator danes. >> aye. >> senator purdue. >> aye. >> senator fisher. >> aye. >> senator hide-smith. >> aye. >> chairman roberts. >> aye. >> that's 20 ayes, one no. >> the ayes are 21 and the nos are 1. the bill is ordered to be reported favorable to the senate as amended.

all right. one more change. the ayes are 20 and the nos are 1. the bill is ordered reported favored to the senate as amended. i ask unanimous consent that the staff be authorized to make such technical and clarifying changes that are appropriate. seeing no objections, so ordered. i want to really thank my colleagues for joining in this important process today. i ask unanimous consent to submit for the record letters urging committee action on this issue and support for the substitute amendment as well as member statements for the record. i would simply add this is not the best possible bill, but rather this is the best bill possible. i am proud and stand by the work conducted here at the committee. i thank the distinguished ranking member. i thank all members in attendance. conducting legislative work

through regular order and utilizing the committee process in a bipartisan and transparent manner. this hearing is now adjourned.

>> pretty simple. you have to be actively engaged.

>> i understand that part. how would you make sure, it sounded like you were interested in that 250,000 cap. >> one manager is married. can be married. yeah how many people does it take on run a farm? >> i wouldn't know. i understand what you're saying. >> if you're one person and there is a loophole -- >> as i recall during 2014, you were interested. that 250,000.

this weekend on american history tv, c-span3. live coverage from the gettysburg college civil war summer conference. starting saturday morning at 8:30 eastern on union troops and pornography. followed by the author kent

masterson brown on george gordon meade. and later at 3:15, the former his, toal director on the battle of the crater during the siege of petersburg. our coverage continues with jonathan lande on desertion in the african-american troops during war. and then at 2:45, elizabeth varon of the university of virginia on elizabeth van lew who operated a spy ring out of richmond. watch this week on american history tv on c-span3. the c-span bus is in alaska this week for the 38th stop of our 50 capitals tour.

we're in juneau with the help of our cable partner. >> we're thrilled that c-span, one of the long time partners, has chosen to visit alaska for the first anaheim 22 years as part of its 50 capitals and cities tour. a big shout out to c-span. so for decades, gci has offered c-span to customers because we believe in the network mission to open to unfiltered trusted media resource, and gci supports the effort to inform and educate the nation on politics, history and current events. now, gci and the cable companies around the nation make c-span possible. there's no government mandate, no public funding, no advertising. c-span is truly a public service wholly funded by gci and other companies. c-span kindly calls itself cable's gift to america.

now thanks to the nationwide 50 capitals tour, we get to showcase our state. the largest in the nation, by the way, to the rest of the country via c-span. well, they're here, finally thaxt goodness. >> we're ecstatic. it is a huge deal for us. it gives a chance to showcase our cities nationwide. the idea that somebody wants to sample what we have here. it is like having visitors in the summertime. >> be sure to join us july 21 and 22 when we feature our visit to alaska. watch alaska weekend c-span, c-span.org or listen on the c-span radio app.