Greg Ganske: “Today, we move forward to approve new farm bill legislation which, for the first time ever, will begin to remove the…”

“Today, we move forward to approve new farm bill legislation which, for the first time ever, will begin to remove the inside-the-beltway, Washington bureaucrat from the backs of the American farmer. We have had to wait until 1996 to come to the realization that farmers, out in the fields, actually know more about farming than the bureaucrats in Washington do. However, I am pleased that we have finally found enlightenment in this body. Thank you, Chairman Roberts. The Iowa Farm Bureau Federation, the Iowa Corn Growers Association, the Iowa Soybean Association, the Iowa Pork Producers, the Iowa Cattlemen Association, and the Iowa Agri-business Association are also pleased that we have developed a bill that allows farmers to farm. This is a good bill. It saves taxpayers nearly $5 billion over the next 7 years. It provides farmers the freedom and flexibility to tailor their farm plans to their individual needs. Not only does this make good free market sense, it is also proenvironment. Farmers will no longer be tied to antiquated farm plans that lock the same crops year after year on the same plot of land. Environmentally friendly crop rotation in combination with advanced farming techniques like no-till will mean less pesticides, less fertilizer, and greater harvests. This legislation also finally stops paying farmers to set aside good quality land not to plant.”