Tester Welcomes Farm Bill Debate, Calls on Senate to Pass Legislation that Works for Montana

Senate’s Only Working Farmer Has Sleeves Rolled up to Defend Montana Farmers and Ranchers

(U.S. Senate)—The U.S. Senate’s only working farmer has rolled up his sleeves and will play an active role in the Farm Bill debate this week.

Senator Jon Tester is calling on his colleagues to work together and pass a strong Farm Bill that works for Montana and provides family farmers and ranchers the certainty they need going into harvest. Tester is vowing to use the Farm Bill to strengthen the safety net for agricultural producers and to defend Montana farmers and ranchers from the devastating impact of retaliatory tariffs from Canada, China, and other nations.

“This bill provides a safety net when Mother Nature deals us a drought and helps when prices are low in the market,” Tester said. “This bill is particularly important right now because of the tariffs that are causing uncertainty and driving down prices at the farm gate.”

Tester will speak on the Senate floor tomorrow morning to outline critical provisions within the Farm Bill.

Tester held seven public, face-to-face Farm Bill listening sessions across Montana to gather priorities from Montana farmers and ranchers in advance of the Farm Bill debate.

“I sat down with farmers and ranchers across Montana, looked them in the eye and heard their Farm Bill priorities,” Tester added. “The bill we are debating this week reflects those priorities and does right by the folks who make a living off the land.”

Tester will offer a bipartisan amendment to the Farm Bill tomorrow to strengthen the popular ARC crop insurance initiative to work better for large, rural states like Montana.

The current Farm Bill is set to expire at the end of September.