Feenstra

Opening new export markets for Iowa farmers increases demand for our agricultural commodities and puts more money into the pockets of our producers. This is an especially important mission after four years of indifference and inaction under the Biden administration when President Biden failed to negotiate a single new trade agreement that would benefit agriculture. The Biden agenda instead pushed electric vehicles onto American families, curtailed American energy production, and imposed regulations like WOTUS on our farmers. Representing the second largest agricultural-producing congressional district in the country, I’ve proposed and supported legislation to grow our export markets and ensure that our farmers have more destinations to ship their high-quality products worldwide.

I recently introduced the Fortifying Refrigeration Infrastructure and Developing Global Exports Act – known as the FRIDGE Act for short – to shore up a weak point in international trading infrastructure. Goods like Iowa-raised beef, pork, turkeys, chickens, and other perishable products face barriers to foreign markets because of a significant lack of cold-chain storage and other refrigeration infrastructure. The FRIDGE Act would make improvements at our ports and construct needed refrigeration infrastructure so that Iowa farmers can ship their goods across the globe without worrying about spoilage.

More specifically, this legislation would direct the U.S. Department of Agriculture to negotiate contracts to deliver needs assessments, training, and other technical assistance to enhance infrastructure construction – including cold chain storage – in new and developing foreign markets. To achieve this goal, it would add a section promoting infrastructure in the Foreign Market Development (FMD) program, and to fund this paragraph, funds will be authorized at $1,000,000 annually through fiscal year 2028. If there are leftover funds not allocated, those funds will go into the main FMD pot of money for the benefit of all producers and exporting organizations.

Another bill that I cosponsored this Congress is the Agriculture Export Promotion Act. This legislation would double funding for the Market Access Program (MAP) and the Foreign Market Development Program (FMD), supporting increased exports of Iowa agricultural products and giving our farmers a voice in new markets. MAP and FMD help promote American-grown and -raised agricultural goods in foreign markets and secure financial benefits for our producers. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, export promotion programs like MAP and FMD contribute more than $8 billion in value to U.S. agricultural exports. This bill is a win-win for our global competitiveness and our farmers’ bottom lines.

Additionally, a recent announcement by the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) will ensure that trade – particularly of our agricultural commodities – continues unhindered up and down the Missouri River. Last December, following reports that the Coast Guard would remove 36 Aids to Navigation (ATONs) on the Missouri River north of Blencoe, Iowa, I led a letter to USCG Captain Andrew Bender urging the USCG to reconsider its decision and to continue infrastructure investments in the Missouri River. The other day, the Coast Guard announced that

it would pause the removal of these ATONs indefinitely. I am glad that the Coast Guard heard the concerns of our Western Iowa communities and has decided to keep these 36 ATONs in place. These devices ensure the safety of ships and their crews and keep our water supply chains moving effortlessly – allowing our farmers, businesses, and manufacturers to ship their goods and serve their customers. I will continue to advocate for robust investment in the Missouri River, the maintenance of these critical ATONs, and policies that support our waterways and grow our economy.

Serving on both the House Agriculture Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee, I’ll keep supporting policies that grow our export markets, help our farmers succeed financially, and increase demand for Iowa agricultural commodities.

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