Source: United States Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn)
KLOBUCHAR: “[We’re] hoping that you will work with us to provide support and certainty to our farmers during this time of delay”
WATCH KLOBUCHAR FULL REMARKS HERE
WASHINGTON – At a Senate Agriculture Committee hearing, U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) secured Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack’s commitment that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will provide disaster assistance for Minnesota farmers impacted by recent storms.
“These two separate storm systems that passed through Minnesota with heavy rains recently…tornadoes destroying farms and grain bins, flooded fields, left several rural communities without power. Our FSA executive director has requested disaster designations for 62 counties,” said Klobuchar. “I led a letter this week with the Minnesota delegations supporting the request and hoping you can look at it completely.”
Secretary Vilsack confirmed he would review Minnesota’s disaster designation requests swiftly, promising: “We’ll try to get that approved as quickly as possible.”
Klobuchar also urged the USDA to provide late planting flexibility for Minnesota farmers, highlighting how historically adverse weather conditions have created “significant challenges for farmers who are already behind on spring planting in Minnesota. Completed planting corn 60 percent, soybeans 32 percent, wheat 11 percent, sugar beets 27 percent are all significantly behind our five year average. And so hoping that you will…work with us to provide certainty and support to our farmers during this time of delay.”
Klobuchar underscored how her bipartisan legislation to help fix supply chains and ease shipping backlogs will boost agricultural exports: “We have seen vulnerabilities for U.S. exporters, including our ag exporters who’ve seen the price of shipping containers increase fourfold…And it looks like we’re going to be able to reach some agreement so that our goods are actually taken by these international shipping conglomerates and that we get some fair prices by some rules that we’re gonna push through with the Maritime Commission.” The Ocean Shipping Reform Act, which Klobuchar introduced with Senator John Thune (R-SD), passed the Senate unanimously in March.
Klobuchar has led efforts to help farmers affected by this year’s record flooding and storms. Last week, Klobuchar and Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) led the entire Minnesota Congressional delegation in urging the USDA to provide federal assistance for impacted Minnesota farmers. She also held a virtual roundtable with local officials to discuss efforts to support communities in recovering from these natural disasters.
A transcript of Klobuchar’s exchange with Secretary Vilsack is available below. Video is available for TV download HERE and for online viewing HERE:
Senator Klobuchar: Thank you Chairwoman for your great work. And Secretary, it’s so good to see you again. I wanted to reiterate what I told you in person, just the fantastic work the USDA has done with regard to avian flu. It’s finally going down. I described it to the people in my states that the waterfowl were taking too long of a spring break in our state, hanging out before flying north. And we had a real outbreak and your people working with our state were just fantastic and we’re in a better place than we were a while ago. So I want to thank you for that.
I want to focus a little on ag disaster aid. I know you know about these two separate storm systems that passed through Minnesota with heavy rains recently on May 11 and 12, tornadoes destroying farms and grain bins, flooded fields, left several rural communities without power. Our FSA executive director has requested disaster designations for 62 counties. And so do you have a timeline for reviewing that request? I led a letter this week with the Minnesota delegations supporting the request and hoping you can look at it completely.
Secretary Vilsack: I’d be happy to, Senator, and we’ll try to get that approved as quickly as possible.
Klobuchar: Thank you. Next up, late planting flexibility. I know that Senator Hoeven raised this with you. It’s really along the same lines because the storms have created significant challenges for farmers who are already behind on spring planting in Minnesota. Completed planting corn 60 percent, soybeans 32 percent, wheat 11 percent, sugar beets 27 percent are all significantly behind our five year average. And so hoping that you will review the suggestions that Senator Hoeven and I have made and work with us to provide certainty and support to our farmers during this time of delay.
Vilsack: We will certainly take a look at the correspondence we received yesterday and make a decision as quickly as we can.
Klobuchar: Okay, thank you very much. And I also want to thank you for all your work on climate change. As we know, part of what we’re seeing, it’s not just serendipity that this is going on, these strange weather events, it’s exactly what was predicted and of course in the area back that means everything from conservation to cover crops on and I want to thank you for that.
I thought I would end here by focusing on some supply chain issues with ocean shipping. We have seen vulnerabilities for U.S. exporters, including our ag exporters who’ve seen the price of shipping containers increase fourfold. Senator Thune and I passed our Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022 through the Senate. The House has a similar version led by Representatives Garamendi and Johnson. And it looks like we’re going to be able to reach some agreement so that our goods are actually taken by these international shipping conglomerates and that we get some fair prices by some rules that we’re gonna push through with the Maritime Commission. Can you talk about the impact of shipping container disruptions on, particularly on ag exports? And whether or not you think cracking down on some of these international shipping conglomerates, rates, and practices would be helpful?
Vilsack: I had an opportunity yesterday to speak to four of the major shippers about this very issue, asking them to create and provide greater consistency in terms of access to containers, and the ability of empty containers that currently leave our ports to be filled with agricultural exports. Received commitments from all four of them to basically take a look at doing a better job. This has been a difficult challenge for American agriculture. We’ve seen some improvement recently, by virtue of the resources that we put in play to create a pop-up site in Oakland. We’ve also provided incentives to move empty containers, financial incentives. We also recently opened up another opportunity in Seattle. So we’re going to continue to work on this and obviously, I think the legislation that’s going through the process is sending a strong message that we’re not satisfied, we’re frustrated with the progress up to this point.
Klobuchar: Thank you. And just quick last, can you talk about the biofuel infrastructure investments that USDA has made continuing to push on some of these issues that I know you are an ally?
Vilsack: Well, we anticipate in the very near future announcing the availability of another 100 million dollars to expand access to public systems and distribution systems that would allow for E15 and B20 to be more readily available. So that’s going to continue.
Klobuchar: Okay, thank you so much, Secretary.
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