Issue Position: Agriculture

Issue Position

Supporting Farmers has become more important as the looming deficit is getting worst everyday.

I think the milk industry is over regulated adding cost to the production of milk, a good example of this is the EPA"s dairy-spill rule. Agriculture is our greatest export this country has to offer the United States and the world. We need to keep our agricultural community farmer vibrant and strong.

I married into a farm family Cindy (Findlay) Stadler. Her parents have been cash crop farmers for over 50 years. Her sister Alane Bodeis (husband Alan) are second generation milk producers. I understand the issues facing farmers today. I say no to cuts to the Farm Bill, especially to farm Crop protection insurance. We need to keep the Farmer strong and vibrant.

I support Senator Debbie Stabenow on the dairy portion of the farm bill, although many more improvements could be made to help eliminate overburdening restrictions. We need to preserve important parts of the Farm Bill to include margin insurance program that will protect the farmer from bad economic conditions that lead to low prices in milk or cause feed prices to go too high. Too many regulations in the past decade have made it hard for the farmer to survive as a business.

With federal cuts in the Farm Bill, there will be less money appropriated to the state of Michigan. My solution is to not make any federal cuts or at the very least limit any cuts in the Farm Bill. Besides providing food for our country, farm crops are our biggest export of anything in the U.S.

The Dairy producers need to be kept strong; the dairy portion of the American diet is very important for our children and the people of this country. This is not the place to cut spending. We should assist farmers financially with farm subsidies. I think we should prioritize, protect and strengthen federal crop insurance. Congress should not reduce funding for that program. The house version Farm Bill Legislation is possibly facing spending cuts of Farm crop insurance 23 billion over the next 10 years Republicans want to 180 bilion or more on the farm bill. We are trying to build the economy not break it down.

I support the use of antibiotics for animal health because farmers need to be profitable. If an animal they raise, feed, and care for gets sick and needs to be put down because antibiotics can't be used, they are in the hole for all the feed, time, and housing used on this animal for its lifetime.

There should be no restrictions on youth working with family members on farms. This is an education in itself. 4-H and FFA are invaluable tools for our youth today. My children fed and watered their 4-H hogs daily. My sister-in-law's family raised cows for 4-H . I would not take this opportunity away from any child. Children can start 4-H at eight years old, if they cannot take care of their livestock that they will sell at the fair, we are not giving them the responsibility and capability to learn. We need to raise our future farmers with precious first hand knowledge gained from working with their own families.

With over burden of this country deficit, many programs are hitting the chopping block; the Farm Bill should not be part of this. The food provided by the farmer is the most important commodity we have in this country. With the growing population around the world, it is evident that the farmers are a very important part of the world's market.

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