| Story Views | |
| Now: | |
| Last Hour: | |
| Last 24 Hours: | |
| Total: | |
Capital-Journal: Rep. Kristi Noem setting ‘a new bar for every elected official to meet’
Rep. Charlie Hoffman
Pierre Capital-Journal
July 30, 2012
Agriculture is South Dakota’s number one industry. With 46,000 producers on 31,800 farms statewide, it’s no surprise that our state consistently ranks in the top ten producers of corn, soybeans and alfalfa. In fact, our agricultural industry has a $20.9 billion annual economic impact on South Dakota. But what our farmers and ranchers do is more than create jobs and bring revenue into Pierre’s coffers.
One South Dakota producer raises enough food to feed 155 people every year. Some may call us a fly-over state, but our farmers and ranchers are helping feed people around our nation and the world.
The importance of our food supply and ensuring that our farmers and ranchers have the resources to continue planting and harvesting cannot be overstated.
That’s why I am so glad to have a representative like Kristi Noem in Washington to fight for South Dakota. She takes a lifetime of experience on the farm with her to Congress, and that experience was evident in the crafting of the Farm Bill.
Rep. Kristi Noem crisscrossed the state soliciting feedback from South Dakota’s producers in the months leading up to the Farm Bill debate in the House Agriculture Committee. She heard the same thing that I have been hearing: a strong safety net is imperative.
The House version of the Farm Bill certainly has a strong safety net, but Rep. Noem went a step further in fighting for South Dakota by making sure that an extension of the livestock disaster programs were included in the bill. With so much of South Dakota suffering from drought conditions, these disaster programs are more critical than ever.
In today’s hyper-partisan political environment, it’s no surprise that the Farm Bill will be a heavy lift. Almost immediately after the Agriculture Committee passed the Farm Bill with a strong bipartisan vote of 35-11, Rep. Noem got to work trying to get it to the House floor.
There are Democrats who are trying to stop the Farm Bill because they think it cuts too much from food stamps while there are a few Republicans who don’t think the bill cuts enough. This is where Rep. Noem stepped up again by leading a bipartisan charge to move the Farm Bill forward.
Rep. Noem gathered more than 75 House members, both Republican and Democrat, to send a letter to leaders of both parties asking them to bring the Farm Bill to the House floor for a vote before August. Just watching the tenacity of our lone representative makes me glad that we have Kristi Noem fighting for us in Washington.
As a rancher, I can’t emphasize enough how much South Dakota needs a Farm Bill. We’re facing what could be one of the worst droughts in years, and the strong safety net programs and livestock disaster provisions would help get us through.
It’s unfortunate that Democratic Congressional candidate Matt Varilek wrote in the Pierre Capital Journal on July 19 that he opposes the House Farm Bill as written. Unlike Mr. Varilek, Rep. Noem clearly understands how the House Farm Bill will help South Dakota producers and is aggressively pushing for it. The kind of commitment and passion Rep. Noem is showing in Washington should set a new bar for every elected official to meet.
State Rep. Charlie Hoffman of Eureka, a Republican, represents District 23 (Campbell, Edmunds, Faulk, Hand, McPherson, Potter, Walworth and part of Spink counties) in the South Dakota Legislature.
2012-07-31 11:00:37
Source:
