Letter to Speaker John Boehner and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, United States House of Representatives - The Farm Bill

Letter

Dear Speaker Boehner and Minority Leader Pelosi:

We the undersigned Governors call upon the United States House of Representatives to return to the critical work of passing a new farm bill. Now is the time to bring forward the proposed farm bill approved by the House Agriculture Committee and get a bill into conference committee.

The farm bill is too important for the nation, agriculture and conservation to allow it to be run off track by Washington politics. Congress needs to get back to work to find consensus and strong policies that will be meaningful to our farmers and ranchers.

There is no time for further delays because the nation's farmers and ranchers need these policies finalized in order to make sound business decisions and to bring stability to the entire agriculture industry. A vote for another extension of the farm bill is not the responsible course for our country's food security. We therefore recommend bringing to the floor the proposed farm bill as approved by the House Agriculture Committee. Many members from both sides of the aisle believe that this committee bill would be passed by the full House of Representatives.

The bill passed by the House Agriculture Committee included a number of positive steps for farmers and ranchers, including risk management and food security measures. Lawmakers also took into consideration the nation's fiscal constraints by incorporating measured spending cuts that will not be realized if House members were to only approve a continuation of current farm policy. We applaud the work of so many of your colleagues in both the House and Senate who have sought compromise on this important legislation, and acknowledge that further compromise will be needed with the Senate to enact a final bill.

Thank you for your commitment to providing sound agriculture policy for the nation's farmers, ranchers and consumers. We urge you to act quickly to pass a farm bill that meets the needs of our nation.

Sincerely,

Jack Dalrymple, Governor
State of North Dakota

Mark Dayton, Governor
State of Minnesota

Dennis Daugaard, Governor
State of South Dakota

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