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Washington, DC - Congressman Tom Reed voted to send the Farm Bill Wednesday to the President's desk in order to help small dairy farmers when milk prices are low, legalize the production of hemp and ensure a safety net is available for our friends and neighbors when they fall upon hard times.
"This farm bill not only supports our hardworking farmers we care about, but also ensures our families are given a fair hand up when they fall upon hard times," Reed said. "And as always, we are proud to continue our efforts to ensure increased funding and standards for rural broadband access."
But Tracy Mitrano, the Democratic candidate who lost to Reed by a narrow margin last month and has already announced she will challenge him in 2020, said in Penn Yan yesterday that the farm bill passed by the House of Representatives came too late for many dairy farmers in upstate New York, says Tracy Mitrano, Democratic candidate for New York's 23rd Congressional District. Mitrano noted that 271 farmers in her district went out of business this year. She blames House representatives—including Tom Reed (R-23rd)—for holding up a vote on the 2018 bill for nearly three months.
"Not only would I have pressed to pass this bill on time, I would have fought harder to obtain more immediate help for our struggling farm community," says Mitrano, who lost a close election to Reed last month.
Upstate Niagara Cooperative thanked Reed "for fighting to help dairy farmers weather these challenging times on family farms."
This farm bill:
- Overhauls our dairy farmer protection program to ensure small dairy producers are prioritized.
- Legalizes the production of hemp.
- Provides $350 million in funding for rural broadband access and increases internet speed standards.
- Authorizes funding for organic farmers and specialty crop research.
- Improves crop insurance programs.