Klobuchar calls for strong farm safety net during farm bill hearing

U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar today called for preserving and strengthening the farm safety net for family farmers at a Senate Agriculture Committee hearing on the 2012 Farm Bill. Klobuchar highlighted the need to improve risk management tools such as crop insurance and commodities trading to protect Minnesota farmers. The hearing featured testimony from Erik Younggren, a wheat farmer from Hallock, MN and the President of the National Association of Wheat Growers. Today’s hearing is part of a series of Senate Agriculture Committee hearings focused on the 2012 Farm Bill, which is being crafted this year.

“Minnesota is the sixth largest agricultural producer in the country, and I was proud to have Erik representing the type of successful family farmers we have across our state. These farmers need to know that they won’t lose everything in the event of a market failure or natural disaster, like the heat waves or floods we experienced last summer,” Klobuchar said. “As we move forward in crafting the 2012 Farm Bill, I will continue to work to strengthen the safety net for family farmers and ensure they have access to the tools they need.”

Klobuchar is a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee and is chairman of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Competitiveness, Innovation, and Export Promotion. In 2008 she worked closely with House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson to pass a Farm Bill that made farm programs more efficient and accountable, expanded the market for biofuels, and strengthened the safety net for farmers and rural communities that support thousands of jobs in every corner of Minnesota.

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