Today, Senator Michael Bennet held a community meeting at the Haven Community Center in Hayden to discuss the recently passed Farm Bill, which he worked with Coloradans to help write and finalize. He also heard input on the next priorities for the state’s farmers and ranchers.
As a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, Senator Bennet helped craft the Farm Bill with the help of Coloradans across the state. He was also selected to serve on the conference committee convened to work out the differences between the House of Representatives and Senate versions of the bill. Bennet helped ensure that Colorado priorities were in the final version of the Farm Bill, including a strengthened crop insurance program, improved conservation easements, reauthorization of the livestock disaster program, important forestry measures for reducing the risk of wildfires, and the continuation of Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) funding for Colorado counties.
“The Farm Bill contains provisions that are not only important for farmers and ranchers, but are also critical for forest health, wildfire mitigation, conservation efforts, and the economies of rural communities,” Bennet said. “Colorado voices played a large part in crafting this bill, and although it’s long overdue, we are pleased that we were able to work across the aisle to pass a five-year bill.”
This stop was one in a series of statewide community meetings Bennet is holding to share information about the final bill and discuss agriculture priorities for the future. Earlier in the day, Bennet met with farmers and ranchers in Delta. Yesterday, he stopped in Alamosa and tomorrow he will be in Greeley.