WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp, a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, today released the latest episode of her podcast, ‘The Hotdish,’ on the importance of the Farm Bill to North Dakota’s rural economy and her role on the Farm Bill conference committee.

After working to pass a bipartisan Senate Farm Bill in June which included many provisions Heitkamp fought for to support North Dakota agriculture, she was appointed to the Farm Bill conference committee earlier this month. It is tasked with reaching a compromise agreement between the U.S. Senate and U.S. House Farm Bills. Heitkamp is one of nine senators appointed to the conference committee. As a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, Heitkamp will have jurisdiction over every piece of the Farm Bill that the conference committee will discuss.

In the episode, Heitkamp interviews Tom Vilsack, former Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Governor of Iowa, and Ryan Pederson, a North Dakota farmer and Vice President of the North Dakota Soybean Growers Association. They discuss the Farm Bill’s wide-ranging impact on rural America, from crop insurance and safety net programs to rural development and nutrition assistance. Vilsack and Pederson also shared their concerns about the administration’s trade war and the economic uncertainty it is causing farmers and ranchers.

“In North Dakota, the Farm Bill should be the top priority for any U.S. senator – and that’s certainty the case for me. In rural communities, the Farm Bill is a lifeline, enabling our farmers and ranchers to plan, and helping them feed our country and the world. But outside of rural America there’s often a lack of awareness about the importance of the Farm Bill and its impact on everyday life – for folks in rural and urban areas alike,” said Heitkamp. “Hearing from Secretary Vilsack, who has a rich understanding of farm programs, and Ryan Pederson, a North Dakota farmer whose livelihood depends on a strong Farm Bill, offers a way to better understand just how important these programs are for our entire economy. We face trying times in American agriculture right now, but we can give farmers and ranchers some much-needed certainty by passing a strong, bipartisan Farm Bill on time, and that’s what I’m working to do.”

Vilsack said, “I think people are very anxious out there in the countryside, and the more we can do to provide them stability and give them direction as to what’s going to happen over the next couple of years in terms of farm programs, conservation, renewable energy, rural development, and research, the better off they will be.”

Vilsack voiced his support for the bipartisan version of Farm Bill passed by the Senate by a historic margin of 86-11, which included many priorities Heitkamp pushed for to support North Dakota. “I think the bill that the Senate put together is a very thoughtful bill, it’s a very bipartisan bill, and it has the best chance of getting the votes in both the House and the Senate,” Vilsack said. 

On Heitkamp’s appointment to the Farm Bill conference committee, Vilsack said, “You have been a champion for farmers, ranchers, and folks who live and raise their families in rural areas, and it’s a testament to your credentials and your judgment that you’ve been placed on the conference committee.”

As important as the Farm Bill is, trade continues to be a top concern for North Dakota producers like Ryan Pederson. Pederson said, “As farmers we understand that we need to get more equitable trade, but we feel like we’re really the pawn in the administration’s negotiation. What is the goal? It certainly does not feel like we’re winning right now when we look at what’s happened to soybean prices, specifically in North Dakota where our soybeans go to China.”

Heitkamp helped secure Senate passage of a bipartisan Farm Bill, which passed by a historic margin of 86-11. The Senate Farm Bill was widely praised by North Dakota agriculture leaders. The U.S. House of Representatives narrowly passed a partisan Farm Bill along party lines in June. 

The Senate bill includes many key provisions Heitkamp fought for to support North Dakota farmers, ranchers, and families, including her fix to the ARC-County program, her provisions to help young and beginning farmers, her priority to protect crop insurance, and her proposal to help farmers and ranchers handle the stress of working in an industry as volatile as agriculture. 

In recent weeks, Heitkamp has also discussed North Dakota’s Farm Bill and trade priorities with crop and livestock producers in Kindred,  Richardton, Grand Forks,  Dickinson, Mandan, Minot, Carrington, Wahpeton, Langdon, and Rubgy.

Heitkamp has taken proactive steps to stand up for North Dakota farmers, ranchers, and manufacturers as the administration’s trade war continues to escalate. Click here for more info on her effort to promote smart trade policies that protect and expand markets for North Dakota’s largest industries.

The Hotdish is available on Spotify, iTunes and Simplecast. Current episodes are also available on Soundcloud.

About The Hotdish:

Heitkamp kicked off her podcast last February with an episode on her efforts to combat human trafficking, interviewing anti-human trafficking leader Cindy McCain and North Dakota journalist Kevin Wallevand. Since then, Heitkamp’s podcast has covered a wide range of topics, including negotiations for the next Farm Bill, the role of moderates in Congress, U.S.-Russia relations, health care, her bipartisan bill that would promote carbon capture, the role of refugees and immigrants in our communities, the threat posed by North Korea, and tackling the crisis of missing and murdered indigenous women, tax reform, an update on her effort to combat human trafficking, the importance of smart trade policies and NAFTA, Capitol Hill interns, and Vietnam veterans.

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