Rod Grams: “As farmers in Minnesota and across the Nation enter this year's planting season, I rise today in support of the farm…”

“As farmers in Minnesota and across the Nation enter this year's planting season, I rise today in support of the farm bill conference report Congress will consider later this week. In the coming days, the Senate and the House, and ultimately the President, will have to make a choice: we will either revolutionize Federal agriculture policies as outlined in this conference report, or we will continue the failed, Washington-knows-best policies of the past 60 years. But that choice should be very clear, Mr. President. After considerable delay, this much-needed legislation will give our agriculture communities a reasonable and responsible policy roadmap for the future. In the short term, decisions about planting, equipment purchases, fertilizer and seed sales, and credit will no longer hang in the balance. In the long term, farmers will have less Government interference from Washington, giving them the flexibility to plant for what the marketplace demands--not what traditional Government crop payments have dictated. I am also proud to note that this legislation is comprehensive and balanced when it comes to protecting our environmentally sensitive lands. Foremost among these environmental provisions is the Conservation Reserve Program, more commonly known as the CRP.”