As the first Iowan to chair Senate Agriculture Committee in nearly a century, Tom Harkin passed a bipartisan farm bill that will stabilize farm incomes, invest in rural communities and protect our environment.
To help safeguard farm families, Tom Harkin’s farm bill rebuilds the farm safety and rewards farmers for good stewardship on agricultural lands in production. It is also the first farm bill ever to include an energy initiative designed to promote the production and use of farm-based renewable energy, including ethanol, biodiesel, biomass and wind energy.
But the farm bill isn’t just about growing corn and beans; it’s about creating new jobs, developing new value-added business and investing in Iowa’s small towns and communities. The farm bill’s rural development initiative provides Iowa’s small towns and communities with the capital and technology needed to create jobs and bring prosperity back to rural America.
Tom Harkin’s farm bill also makes conservation a cornerstone of America’s farm policy. The new farm bill greatly increases our commitment to helping agricultural producers and landowners conserve and protect soil, water, air and wildlife – especially on land in agricultural production. That means cleaner air and water for all of Iowa and rural America.
Tom Harkin believes a stronger, brighter future for Iowa must a strong farm and rural economy. That’s why he works hard for farmers and for good paying jobs for every Iowan.
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