Midyear update offered on agriculture tour of 4th District
Agriculture is the backbone of our economy in Iowa. This vital industry supports over 810,000 jobs, creates more than $50 billion in total wages, and generates more than $250 billion in economic output – just in Iowa alone. These economic benefits also extend to our main-street businesses and our families, which keep our rural communities strong and make rural Iowa a great place to live, work, and raise a family. It’s why – when I first ran for Congress – I promised that I would secure a seat on the House Agriculture Committee to deliver for our farmers and producers and be a strong voice for agriculture in Washington. Our communities deserve nothing less.
At the beginning of this year, I launched the second iteration of my Feenstra Agriculture Tour to meet with farmers, understand their concerns, and take their suggestions and priorities to our nation’s capital. Since January, I’ve had many positive and important conversations with every aspect of our agricultural community to ensure that I’m doing the best job that I can do to advocate for agriculture and protect our producers. Whether it be the Farm Bill, trade, crop insurance, or serious concerns about China buying our farmland, I’ve transformed my discussions with producers, equipment manufacturers, and commodity groups into sound and meaningful policy that benefits Iowa agriculture. So, let’s break down the last seven months.
In January, I met with the Harrison County Farm Bureau in Logan. We had a productive discussion about my legislation to permanently repeal the death tax on our family farms and small businesses and our shared concern about China buying American farmland. I’m glad to say that the FARMLAND Act – which I introduced – is part of the Farm Bill. This legislation would enhance oversight on foreign land ownership by increasing transparency, requiring reporting on farmland owned by our adversaries, and imposing penalties on any person knowingly falsifying Agriculture and Foreign Investment Disclosure Act (AFIDA) filings. Later in January, I also toured the Tyson Feed Mill in Storm Lake alongside the Iowa Turkey Federation to cover animal disease prevention, mitigation, and response and held my 7th Farm Bill town hall in Treynor where we talked about our nearly $35-trillion national debt and my work to make E-15 available at the gas pump year-round nationwide – permanently.
In February, I made four different stops. I spoke to the Buena Vista County Pork Producers in Storm Lake about the urgent need to overturn California’s costly Proposition 12 mandates, toured Smitty Honey Bee in Defiance to talk about insurance programs in the Farm Bill, and met with the MVAO FFA in Mapleton and the Lawton-Bronson FFA in Lawton where we chatted about helping the next generation of farmers and producers succeed. Based on these conversations, the Farm Bill includes legislation that I led to stop California’s Proposition 12 on Iowa hog farmers and my Crop Insurance for Future Farmers Act, which lowers the cost of crop insurance for new and young producers so that they can plant their roots and make a profit during their most vulnerable time.
In April, I kept my agriculture tour going with a visit to a farm in Lester, a meeting with Ryan and Mark Zomer at Zomer Company Realty & Auction, and the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at Iowa State University. In Lester, we discussed the importance of passing a strong, five-year Farm Bill and the need to bolster crop insurance. During my conversation with Ryan and Mark Zomer, we covered my bill to eliminate the death tax and my work to protect stepped-up basis and like-kind exchange to make it easier to pass farmland onto the next generation. At the ribbon cutting for the Veterinary Diagnostic Lab at Iowa State, I emphasized how this state-of-the-art facility will help us protect our flocks and herds from animal diseases, especially as bird flu continues to devastate our egg and poultry producers.
In May, I attended the ribbon cutting ceremony for the world’s first Clean Sugar Technology plant in Shenandoah. This facility will allow us to convert our corn into sugar that will go into everything from gummy bears and syrup to skittles and ketchup. Finally, in July, I toured Agrivision – which sells and repairs farm equipment – in Missouri Valley where we talked about the importance of reauthorizing and improving pro-growth tax provisions from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, including 100% bonus depreciation that helps farmers and business owners make investments in their operations.
Growing and raising everything from corn, soybeans, and eggs to cattle, hogs, turkeys, and chickens, Iowa farmers are committed to feeding and fueling our country and the world. Because of the hard work and dedication of our agricultural community, Iowa remains an agricultural powerhouse and retains its status as the breadbasket to our country and the world. Serving on the House Agriculture Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee, I will continue to be the strongest voice for agriculture and our producers in Congress.
This op-ed was originally published in the Northwest Iowa Review on July 29, 2024.