- 09.01.2020
MTN News: Lt. Gov. Cooney, Sen. Tester announce plan to aid Montana farming industry
Lt. Gov. Mike Cooney and Sen. Jon Tester announced a plan to help rural communities, farmers and ranchers in Montana.
A release Lt. Gov. Cooney says his “Growing Montana” plan is aiming to “create good-paying jobs in the agriculture and manufacturing industries, reinstate Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) for beef and pork products, and invest in renewable fuels and hemp as crops.”
The following is the plan’s details listed in the release:
Supporting Good-Paying Manufacturing Jobs
• “Increase the percentage of funding for the Growth Through Agriculture Program through the Coal Severance Tax Fund to help Montana producers and manufacturers create more good-paying jobs through value-added agriculture.”
Country of Origin Labeling
• “Reinstate Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) for beef and pork products to give Montana producers an edge and give consumers more information about Montana’s world-class products.”
Grown in Montana: Montana Meat
• “Encourage and support the development of local and regional state certified meat processing facilities.”
• “Provide for an extension of the Made in Montana and Grown in Montana brand to meat products.”
Supporting Hemp as a Crop
• “Invest in a diversified processing infrastructure, which adds value to every part of the plant: the cannabinoids, the fiber, and the grain.”
• “Work with the federal government to open up the feed market for hemp.”
• “Make sure banks, regulators, and other service providers treat hemp producers like the legal businesses they are.”
Supporting “Right to Repair” Legislation
• “Push to allow Montana’s farmers and ranchers the right to repair their own equipment, saving them time and money.”