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Last updated on Wednesday, June 13, 2018
(WASHINGTON, D.C.) - Today, the Senate Agriculture Committee passed the 2018 Farm Bill with strong bipartisan support and, it includes a number of provisions championed by U.S. Senator Joe Donnelly that would benefit Indiana agriculture and the state’s rural communities.
Donnelly, who serves on the committee, helped craft the bipartisan bill and spoke during the committee markup about Hoosier priorities for the bill that were developed after meeting and hearing from nearly every segment of Indiana's agricultural community. Donnelly provisions included in the bill would help improve risk management tools, expand market opportunities, promote voluntary conservation activities, combat the opioid epidemic, support rural communities with investments in high-speed internet and waste- and drinking-water infrastructure, and fight against food insecurity. The farm bill now goes to the full Senate for a vote.
Donnelly said, "As the hired help for Indiana, I took what I heard from Hoosiers and worked with my colleagues to develop this bipartisan bill to ensure it would advance priorities important to our state and rural communities. I'm pleased this bill would improve the tools farmers use to manage uncontrollable risks; expand market opportunities; invest in broadband and provide resources to fight the opioid epidemic; and fight food insecurity. I hope the full Senate considers the farm bill quickly."
Several Donnelly-led or supported provisions were included in the Senate Ag Committee's farm bill.
Fighting the Opioid Epidemic: This bill includes a number of Donnelly-written provisions that would combat the opioid epidemic by targeting telemedicine and community facility investments for substance abuse treatment, developed from the bipartisan rural opioids package Donnelly introduced in July 2017.
Promoting Voluntary Conservation Programs: The bill would eliminate potential disincentives for voluntary conservation practices like cover crops and support soil health improvement programs. Donnelly heard about the importance of cover crops and conservation programs in several listening session stops, including in 2017 in Knox County and in March 2018 with conservationists and sportsmen in Montgomery County.
Supporting Specialty Crop Growers: The bill would retain full planting flexibility for farmers who want to plant fruits and vegetables, which builds on a bipartisan bill Donnelly introduced with Senator Todd Young in December 2017 and Donnelly's work in the 2014 and 2008 farm bills. Donnelly heard about the continued importance of this in August 2017 when he held a listening session at the Red Gold Tomato Farm in Grant County with specialty produce farmers.
Developing New Markets: The bill would increase export opportunities for Hoosier farmers through export promotion programs, building on Donnelly's bipartisan legislation with Senators Joni Ernst (R-IA), Angus King (I-ME), and Susan Collins (R-ME) that would invest in the Market Access Program and the Foreign Market Development program.
Supporting Rural Communities: The bill would help rural communities attract investment and growth by improving the delivery of high-speed internet and investing in waste- and drinking-water by infrastructure to ensure water systems are providing clean and reliable water.
Fighting Food Insecurity: The bill would strengthen oversight of the SNAP program and help fight food insecurity by reforming food assistance programs, while protecting access to benefits and maintaining the integrity of the programs. It would make it easier for seniors to access food assistance by reducing burdensome paperwork based on legislation that Donnelly supported led by Senator Bob Casey (D-PA). In November 2017, Donnelly toured the Food Finders Food Bank Inc. in Lafayette and met with representatives from statewide anti-hunger groups to bring their thoughts to the bill.
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