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For Immediate Release: Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2018
MEMORANDUM
To: Iowa Reporters and Editors
Fr: Mike Naig, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture
Re: Passage of Farm Bill
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig issued the following statement regarding Congressional passage of a new Farm Bill. The bill now goes to President Trump to be signed into law.
“A new five-year Farm Bill will provide needed certainty and predictability for farmers in what has been a very volatile and challenging time. I commend the efforts by leaders in both the House and Senate, including Sen. Ernst who was a conferee, to finalize the agreement and get it passed. I encourage President Trump to sign the bill into law quickly so farmers can know what federal policy will be as they continue to plan for the 2019 growing season.
“Crop insurance, conservation and trade were the top three issues I heard about as I traveled the state and visited with farmers about the Farm Bill. The bill passed today maintains the crop insurance program and continues the important federal support for conservation efforts. The bill also preserves important trade promotion programs within USDA.
“The bill also provides significant funding to support efforts to prepare for and potentially respond to foreign animal diseases, including funding for a vaccine bank for foot and mouth disease. With new cases of African swine fever continuing to be found around the world and ongoing concerns about avian influenza, it is critically important we continue to expand emergency response preparations on both the state and federal level.”
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For more information, contact Dustin Vande Hoef, (515) 281-3375 or (515) 326-1616 (cell) or Dustin.VandeHoef@IowaAgriculture.gov
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