Feenstra

As the only member of Congress serving on both the House Agriculture Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee, it is important to me that we support the next generation of Iowa farmers and producers. The volatile nature of input costs, insurance rates, regulations, and international affairs makes farming – an already challenging industry – even more difficult. Supporting policies that help alleviate these obstacles, encourage young people to pursue a career in agriculture, strengthen our main streets and rural communities, and keep our farmland in the hands of American farmers is a top priority for me in Congress.

That’s why I recently introduced the Crop Insurance for Future Farmers Act to lower the cost of crop insurance for our young, beginning, and veteran farmers during their first ten years in operation – the most vulnerable of any business. In my conversations with our farmers and neighbors on my 36 County Tour, ensuring that the next generation of Iowa agriculture can continue long-held family traditions and grow the food and fuel that our nation and the world depend on is a recurring topic of concern. It’s certainly a major part of my focus on Capitol Hill.

Losing our farmland to our foreign adversaries or absentee landowners is a threat to our economic and national security and must be stopped. To keep our farmland in the hands of Iowa farmers and away from China and our foreign enemies, we need to cut operating costs for our young and beginning farmers so that they can grow, compete, and succeed – instead of calling it quits because of financial barriers.

More specifically, this legislation would align the definition of “Beginning Farmer” to match most other beginning-farmer programs, extending crop and livestock insurance protections from 5 years to 10 years for new and beginning farmers. This increase to 10 years would apply to all federal crop insurance programs, including livestock policies. This tax relief will help our young producers plant their roots in our rural communities, promote farm profitability, and strengthen Iowa’s status as an agricultural powerhouse and the breadbasket to the world.

Our young, beginning, and veteran farmers and ranchers play a critical role in the success of American agriculture. In 2022, the United States had 1,011,715 producers who were registered as beginning farmers or ranchers, accounting for over 30% of the country’s producers. Additionally, there were 305,753 producers who had served or were serving in the military. With rising input costs, softening commodity prices, and uncertainty threatening the farm economy, the need for a strong and comprehensive farm safety net is undeniable and urgent. Crop insurance serves as the best tool in a farmer’s toolkit to manage the risk they face on the farm, while reducing taxpayer risk exposure. This legislation works to improve access to and affordability of this critical risk management tool.

In addition to strengthening crop insurance protections for our young producers, I have also led the charge with Senate Majority Leader John Thune to permanently repeal the federal death tax. This unfair double tax unfairly targets our family farms and small businesses and threatens the ability of families to pass their legacies from one generation to the next. This is money that has already been taxed, and there is no other reason for this tax than to extract even more of our farmers’ and small business owners’ hard-earned dollars. By eliminating this egregious double tax for good, we can keep family traditions alive and keep our farmland in the hands of Iowa farmers – not China.

From repealing the federal death tax to cutting the cost of crop insurance, we will invest in the future of Iowa agriculture, keep our enemies away from our farmland, and power our economy forward.

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Randy Feenstra, a Republican from Hull, represents Iowa’s Fourth District in the U.S. House.