Washington, D.C. – Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet, a member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry and Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Conservation, Forestry, and Natural Resources, today applauded Senate passage of the 2018 Farm Bill conference report. More than 25 Bennet-led priorities were included in the final Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018.
“The farmers and ranchers of Colorado wrote enormous parts of this legislation, and what passed today is a reflection of their priorities.
“Over the course of two dozen listening sessions, their recommendations have improved how we manage our forests, have strengthened our farm safety net, and will help us address climate change.
“In the Senate Agriculture Committee, we don’t have partisan differences—we have regional differences that we resolve. That’s because farmers and ranchers don’t have the luxury of pretending politics is the only thing that matters. They’re focused on handing the next generation more opportunity. That’s what this bill does.
“It has been gratifying to work with other members of the Agriculture Committee. After two years of negotiation and hard-fought compromise, we are steps away from having this critical bill become law.”
A summary of the Bennet-led priorities in the final 2018 Farm Bill is available HERE.
The following highlights in the Farm Bill are significant for Colorado. The bill:
- Expands economic opportunity, especially in rural communities, by legalizing hemp and increasing access to broadband.
- Strengthens risk management, maintains crop insurance, contains innovative forest health tools, and fully funds conservation programs.
- Protects the integrity of SNAP and expands access to healthy foods.
- Provides tools to farmers and ranchers to adapt to climate change and reduce carbon pollution.