Issue Statements 

Agriculture

Agriculture

Agriculture, conservation and energy issues are extremely important to Iowans. The Fifth District in particular is first in the nation for swine, second in the nation for corn, third in the nation for soybeans, and we are fourth in the nation for the market value of ag products sold. In addition, our own energy export center makes the Fifth District an important part of our nation’s domestic energy supply. Agriculture is a major part of our economy and our communities in Iowa, and federal policies on agriculture have a significant daily impact on the lives of Iowans.

Energy: Use and Production

Iowa Windmills

I am concerned the Corn Belt is being held hostage to high energy prices, which impact the agricultural economy. Currently, the U.S. relies on foreign sources for more than 61% of its energy needs. It is projected, in five years 75% of the nation’s energy supply will come from foreign entities and much of it from unstable regions of the world. The only way to lower energy prices and reduce our dangerous dependence on foreign energy is to increase the size of our domestic energy supply- a supply pie that contains all the pieces of domestic oil, gas, and renewable fuels. As the founding co-chair of the Ag Energy User’s Caucus, I am supporting bills that would increase the pieces of our domestic energy supply.

Livestock Identification

There’s no question we must have a functioning livestock identification system as soon as possible. It’s a big step for our producers, so rather than slapping another government restriction on our livestock industry, I seek to create a system that would be developed by the people it affects the most, and create it in a way that will benefit everyone. In the rare case of disease outbreak, a livestock ID system will act like an insurance policy for our producers. Our export customers can be assured that we know the approximate age and location of each animal and its history.

I have authored a comprehensive livestock identification bill to provide an immediate response mechanism for animal disease control, ensure the U.S. place in the world market, protect our livestock producers and provide a framework for producers and breeders to capitalize on their proprietary carcass information.

The Livestock Identification and Marketing Opportunities (LIMO) Act, would create a “Livestock Identification Board” whose duties would be to establish and maintain the livestock identification system. Livestock and premises information that is collected would be exempt from the Freedom of Information Act. The bill was a result of meeting frequently with my agricultural advisory board, key industry leaders and research of other country’s successful livestock identification systems.

Young Farmers

One-half of U.S. farmers are over the age of 55, while only six percent of farmers are under 35. This is a disturbing trend that puts the future of production agriculture at risk. In the 110th Congress, I introduced legislation to expand and modernize the bonds designed to assist beginning farmers. H.R. 651, The Agricultural Bond Improvement Act, would raise the limit of affordable, low cost credit that beginning farmers can access at their local bank through tax-exempt "Aggie Bonds" from $250,000 to $450,000. In addition, the bill would exempt Aggie Bonds from the volume cap on industrial revenue bonds; allow Farm Service Agency guarantees to be used with Aggie Bonds; and eliminate the dollar limitation on owned farmland and only use the acreage restriction of 30 percent of the average size farm in the county.  While H.R. 651 did not move in the 110th Congress, the provision that it created were added to the 2008 Farm Bill.

As an avid sportsman and a former conservation contractor, conservation has been important to me for years. I understand the importance that good conservation practices can have on the future of a farming operation. Farm Bill conservation programs have allowed land owners and managers to take great strides toward improving their valuable resources.

As we work on promoting conservation, we should evaluate all of the conservation programs for their effectiveness. The programs should be farmer-friendly, produce results on the land and prove to be a good use of taxpayer dollars. In addition, we should be looking for new ideas on how these programs can be improved.

As I have assessed the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and talked with farmers in the Fifth District, I have come to the conclusion that it would be helpful to have a program that would allow farmers with expiring CRP contracts to have the option to enroll into a transitional, conservation-based pasture or haying contract. This would allow for the maintenance of the environmental benefits obtained through CRP, while creating an economic benefit to farmers and local economies by allowing grazing and haying. Some examples of the conservation practices that could be used would be managed paddock-style grazing systems; fencing the cattle out of ponds and creeks; and haying, mowing or harvesting for seed production that would be subject to certain restrictions during the nesting season.

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