John Thune: “I, too, wish to urge my colleagues to vote for cloture this evening on the farm bill. This is bringing a long debate to…”

“I, too, wish to urge my colleagues to vote for cloture this evening on the farm bill. This is bringing a long debate to its finality and to a close that is good for American agriculture. Actually, the American people today are going to get an energy bill to promote renewable energy, and they are going to get a farm bill that strengthens the safety net and makes a strong commitment to conservation. Many of the programs funded in this bill do an awful lot to support conservation across this country. In many respects, the conservation title of the farm bill, I would argue, is probably one of the best environmental stewardship policies we have put in place in the Congress. It also adds an energy policy that will complement what was done today in the Energy bill--the renewable fuels standard--which will increase the amount of renewable energy that will be used in this country. In order to reach that standard, we are going to have to use more and more cellulosic ethanol, which is the next generation of biofuels in this country, and the farm bill has in its energy title some incentives for energy-dedicated crops that can be used in the production of cellulosic ethanol. I think this energy policy and the energy title, the conservation title, the commodity title of this bill, and many of the other provisions are good for American agriculture. It has been a long battle, and we still have a long ways ahead of us.”