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The Senate Agriculture Committee’s hearing this week in Grand Island is an excellent opportunity to discuss the new farm bill and its impact on Nebraska. The hearing will gather testimony from Nebraskans helping shape the farm bill, but because there’s not enough time to hear all the valuable viewpoints from our state, I’ve also been spending time listening to local farmers, ranchers, and experts.
I appreciate all the local input and look forward to applying it as we begin to craft the new farm bill—which I’m calling the Food and Fuel Security Act. Agriculture is deeply rooted in Nebraska’s rich heritage and to protect it, we need to turn our attention to these issues in the next farm bill:
DROUGHT
Drought has afflicted our state for years now, and its impacts appear to not only be increasing, but accelerating. I recently heard from Dr. Don Wilhite of the National Drought Mitigation Center in Lincoln who recommends a national drought policy that emphasizes risk management rather than following the traditional approach of crisis management. He says that for every dollar invested in mitigation and preparedness, four dollars are saved when a natural disaster like drought occurs.
One of my goals for the new farm bill—which I’m calling the Food and Fuel Security Act—is to develop a national drought mitigation system as envisioned by Dr. Wilhite because when it comes to drought, we can’t afford to be nearsighted.
I have introduced a bill that authorizes a drought early warning system to effectively prepare for future droughts. Nebraska leads the way in this important research and my bill draws on this Nebraska know-how to save taxpayers billions.
RURAL DEVELOPMENT
The future of farming is a key concern I’ve heard from many Nebraskans. Farmers aged 55 and up control more than half the farmland and it’s anticipated that half of all current farmers are likely to retire at the end of this decade.
To attract a new generation of farmers, we must address and invest in rural development. This encompasses a wide range of efforts to enhance rural communities from building rural schools to hospitals. There must also be a focus on encouraging entrepreneurship, and that’s something we can achieve in the new farm bill.
I recently heard from Regent Chuck Hassebrook who worries that rural communities aren’t sharing in the nation’s prosperity. To correct this, he promotes an entrepreneurship initiative to breathe new life into our rural communities. I believe this must be done to strengthen our rural development and ensure the security of our farmers and food supply.
BIOFUELS
I believe agriculture can lead the way in our search for alternative and renewable sources of fuel, moving the US toward energy security and eventually, energy independence. American agriculture is poised to provide the nation with an abundant source of clean, high-quality energy that will reduce our destructive reliance on foreign oil.
Right now we have 12 Nebraska ethanol plants that produce more than 500 million gallons of ethanol a year while employing thousands of Nebraskans. One in four jobs in Nebraska are agriculture related and ethanol is leading the way and creating even more jobs.
My hope for the new Food and Fuel Security Act is that we will achieve what I know is possible: a safe and secure food supply and progress toward energy independence.
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