Ag Community
To Minnesota’s Farmers and Agricultural Leaders:
As you know more than most, these are trying times for our family farms.
From last year’s horrible planting season and the delay of the USMCA to the unique challenges brought on by the coronavirus lockdown, Minnesota’s farmers have faced one hardship after another.
I understand the struggles our farmers are facing and was looking forward to talking with many of you at FarmFest this year. Sadly, it’s been cancelled so I wanted to reach out and tell you why I’ve been a leading voice for protecting Minnesota’s agricultural interests.
Livestock farmers in Minnesota, particularly hog farmers, have received increased attention in recent months due to processing plants being shut down over coronavirus concerns. Back in April, I called for the agricultural provisions in the CARES Act to be invoked so the USDA could expand their assistance to a wider range of agricultural producers. I also called for discussion around extending crop insurance to livestock farmers. Their plight is having a trickle-down effect which is now impacting every farm in Minnesota, and our leaders are doing all farmers a disservice by inadequately addressing this problem.
I believe 2020 will be a determinative year for agriculture. Not only do we have to recover from a pandemic, there are many critical issues that need to be addressed if our family farms are going to continue to thrive for generations to come.
Tax reform is a fundamental issue for Minnesota farmers. In Congress, I was a staunch supporter of the Farm Bureau-endorsed Tax Cuts and Jobs Act which included doubling the estate tax exemption from roughly 5.5 million to 11 million. I also voted for the 2018 House Farm Bill both times. There were many critical provisions in that piece of legislation, including food stamp reform which continues to be necessary in order to make certain allocated funds actually go to family farms.
Health care reform is another topic that frequently comes up when I am talking with farmers. Premiums, deductibles, and co-pays are skyrocketing under the Affordable Care Act. The necessity for health care reform is essential when it comes to adequately meeting both our farmers’ needs and their families. That’s why I fought so hard for health care reform while in Congress, and I will make it my aim to once again push for healthcare reform and deliver quality healthcare to our farmers when I am elected Senator.
Lastly, we must continue to push back on environmental extremism that is encroaching on the ability or our farmers to earn a living. In Congress, I was an original co-sponsor of a bill aimed at repealing the costly WOTUS regulations. I also voted in favor of removing the Endangered Species Act protection for gray wolves. And I was a vocal support of ending burdensome EPA reporting requirements that were never intended to impact farms in the first place.
Keeping agriculture in Minnesota profitable requires continuing to pursue free and fair trade deals, granting equitable tax treatment for family farms, and significant regulatory reform. I was proud to tackle many of these issues when I served in the 115th Congress and hope to be able to continue the job in the Senate.
I look forward to working with you and being a bold advocate for Minnesota’s farmers!
Jason Lewis
Candidate for U.S. Senate