Montana Agriculture Wins with passage of Farm Bill

Great Falls, MT- In response to passage of the Farm Bill today Montana Farmers Union president Alan Merrill has issued this statement: “ We are extremely pleased with passage of the Farm Bill. It provides certainty for Montana farmers and ranchers through support of programs like PLC and ARC with greater flexibility to choose the program that best fits a producer’s operation. Under the conservation title we are also pleased with the preservation of the CRP Program and acreage increase. In regards to crop insurance we are extremely satisfied to see the preservation of the Crop Insurance Title as it creates a safety net for farmers .The big provision in the Farm Bill that will highly impact Montana agriculture is the legalization of Industrial Hemp. MFU policy supports the removal of Industrial Hemp as a Schedule 1 drug, which the Farm Bill does. This removal tears down the barriers to the production, sale and transport of Industrial Hemp. Montana farmers will be able to diversify their operation and now have the freedom to become major players in the Industrial Hemp market. We applaud the work of congress to pass this legislation before the end of the year. The passage of the Farm Bill provides support for Montana farmers, ranchers and rural communities to thrive.”