Agriculture & Rural Development Archives - Page 10 of 41

Fighting For Illinois’ Agricultural Economy

As a member of Congress from a rural district who comes from a long line of family farmers, I know how important our growers and producers are to our local economy. In western and central Illinois, we have some of the richest farmland in the nation, and agriculture is the top economic driver.

That’s why as a member of the House Agriculture Committee I’ve made growing our agricultural economy a priority.

When I was a new member of Congress, I was proud to work across party lines to pass the first long-term Farm Bill in years. This bipartisan legislation provided a stable and strong crop insurance program while maintaining funding for programs that feed hungry children and families across Illinois.

Then, in 2018, I fought to pass another bipartisan Farm Bill that included several key pieces of legislation I authored, including:

The Farmers of Tomorrow Act, which makes it easier for young farmers to buy land and put roots down in agriculture;
The Rural Health Liaison Act, which created a new position at the USDA that focuses on improving the delivery of health care to rural America; and
The Addiction Recovery for Rural Communities Act, which helps rural Americans better leverage USDA programs to combat opioid and heroin abuse.

But to keep our agricultural economy growing, we need to help our farmers export their products to new markets. That’s why I traveled to Cuba with the Illinois-Cuba Working Group and the Illinois Farm Bureau to help our farmers develop the right relationships so they can export more of our agricultural products.

It’s also crucial that our growers and producers have a seat at the table when negotiating new agreements with our trading partners. In August 2019, I set up a meeting at the Illinois State Fair between Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and the Illinois Farm Bureau to discuss agricultural priorities for the renegotiation of NAFTA—which later became known as the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).

I later cast my vote in favor of a strong USMCA, securing export markets for the agriculture sector with some of our most reliable trading partners and establishing a robust framework for future trade deals.

Additionally, over the past few years, we’ve seen the Trump Administration partner with Big Oil to dismantle the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS)—a move that has been devastating to our corn growers and biofuels producers alike. I’ve been working to restore the integrity of the RFS and to ensure that our growers and producers have the support they need to keep our agricultural sector strong and continue investing in the production of cleaner-burning fuels.

While we still have a lot of work to do to ensure a brighter future for our 21st century agricultural heartland, here are several recent examples of the work I’m doing.

More on Agriculture & Rural Development

Press Release

June 12, 2019

ICYMI on Hardball: Bustos Fights for Farmers Against Reckless Trade Policies

Bustos Discusses Recent Farm Roundtable in Prophetstown WASHINGTON – In case you missed it, Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (IL-17) was on Hardball with Chris Matthews last night to discuss the impact of the president’s trade war on our agricultural economy. BUSTOS: “If you want to go back to when President Trump was candidate Trump, he stood behind […]

Press Release

June 11, 2019

Bustos Receives Champion of Agriculture Award

WASHINGTON – Today, Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (IL-17) received the American Agri-Women (AAW) Champion of Agriculture Award. In recognition of her work to promote farm exports, Congresswoman Bustos was presented with the award by Ardath DeWall, a dairy farmer from Shannon, Illinois; and Jeanette Lombardo, President of AAW. “I’m humbled to receive the Champion of Agriculture […]

Press Release

June 4, 2019

Bustos Secures Wins for Rural America in Agriculture Appropriations Bill

With Critical Bustos Provisions Included, Agriculture and Rural Development Appropriations Bill Heads to House Floor for Final Passage WASHINGTON – Today, Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (IL-17) helped pass an extensive Agriculture and Rural Development funding bill out of the powerful House Appropriations Committee (Committee). This piece of legislation will now head to the House floor for […]

Press Release

May 31, 2019

Bustos Applauds Long Overdue Final Rule for Year-Round E15

MOLINE – Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (IL-17) – a member of both the House Appropriations and Agriculture Committees – released the following statement after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced their final rule to implement year-round E15, a fuel blended with 15 percent ethanol. “After years of fighting for year-round E15, today’s announcement is welcome […]