The House Agriculture Committee passed the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2012 (Farm Bill) by a strong bipartisan vote. While by no means perfect, this legislation saves more than $35 billion, includes a strong safety net for producers, and makes farm and nutrition programs more accountable to American taxpayers. I championed three main provisions in this Farm Bill, all of which were included in some form in the final version approved by the Committee. They include:

•  Livestock Disaster Protection Act: Would extend the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP), the Livestock Forage Program (LFP), and the Emergency Livestock Assistance Program (ELAP) for the life of the Farm Bill as well as provide coverage for the current fiscal year, since the programs expired in 2011.
• Protect our Prairies Act: Would encourage conservation of native sod and grassland, save taxpayer dollars and protect the habitat of wildlife critical to South Dakota’s hunting industry.
• National Forest Emergency Response Act: Would streamline processes to get boots on the ground faster for pine beetle mitigation efforts.

Additionally, I was able to pass a number of amendments including further expanding pine beetle mitigation tools, permanently establishing an Office of Tribal Relations within the Department of Agriculture, and encouraging the continuation of successful projects within the Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP).

While the Agriculture Committee passed its version of the Farm Bill, our work is not over. I have been working to build support among my colleagues from both sides of the aisle so a Farm Bill can be passed into law. The drought we are facing in South Dakota underscores the importance of providing long-term certainty to our producers.

There are many challenges facing agriculture today, including unnecessary and burdensome regulations that cause uncertainty for our producers. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considered tightening restrictions on dust, like that found on farms. In response, I sponsored and passed through the House, H.R. 1633, the Farm Dust Regulation Prevention Act, which would leave the regulation of farm dust to the states and local communities rather than bureaucrats in Washington.

The Department of Labor (DOL) also proposed a rule that would undermine South Dakota’s tradition of family farms. Thankfully, with pressure from the agriculture community and Congress, the DOL backed down. The House also passed H.R. 4157, The Preserving America's Family Farms Act, which I cosponsored, that would prohibit the DOL from moving forward on this poorly crafted proposal banning kids from doing many everyday chores and jobs on farms and ranches. I have and will continue to fight against these rules and regulations that hamper the ability of our producers to provide us with a safe and affordable food supply.

For more information on the Farm Bill, click here.