Underscores the importance of needed action on forest reform
Among other Montana priorities secured by Daines, the Farm Bill included:
Critical safety net programs such as crop insurance and the sugar program; ag research funding for land grant universities, such as Montana State University and ag research stations across Montana; prioritization of rural broadband for Montana’s unserved communities; an important vaccine bank to help better respond to animal disease outbreaks, and, support for and maintenance of conservation programs that are important to Montana farmers, ranchers, and sportsmen.
Daines was also able to secure other amendments, including:
- An amendment to help the ARC-County program, an important commodity support program, better reflect actual growing conditions in many of Montana’s large counties.
- The Hemp Farming Act, which Daines has cosponsored. This provision would legalize hemp, which can be used in a wide-range of consumer goods, food, and other products, as an agricultural commodity and remove it from the list of controlled substances to help Montana farmers have access to another potential cash crop and remove a one-size-fits-all federal mandate.
Shortly after the passage of the Senate Farm Bill, Daines spoke on the Senate floor about what the bill means for Montana farmers and ranchers.
Watch video HERE.
Download video HERE.
“This Farm Bill is good news for Montana farmers and ranchers and will help provide certainty for Montana agriculture in these difficult times,” said Daines. “I am looking forward to upcoming conference negotiations with the House to get an effective and efficient Farm Bill to the desk of the President as quickly as possible.”
Daines also secured important forest reform measures, including provisions to:
Encourage coordination among the Forest Service and state forestry agencies to restore forests and reduce the risk of wildfire; Allow the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management to enter into agreements with counties, as well as states and tribes, to implement forest management projects on National Forests and public lands; And support innovation and development of new markets for Montana’s timber industry.
However, while on the Senate floor, Daines underscored that there is still more work that needs to be done to help improve the health of Montana’s forests, restore active forest management, and reduce the risk of devastating wildfires.
Watch video HERE.
Download video HERE.
“Just today I was informed that another project has been delayed by a restraining order because of litigation,” said Daines. “It was scheduled to start Monday July, 2nd and now those folks won’t go to work there. In fact, 29 timber sales in Montana are currently impacted by fringe litigation”
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