Agriculture

U.S. SENATE—U.S. Senator Steve Daines today introduced the “USA Beef Act,” to ensure only beef products from cattle born, raised and slaughtered in the United States can use the “Product of USA” label. “Montana ranchers produce the best beef in the world,” Daines said. “Montana ranchers deserve to receive a fair price for their beef, and Montana families at the store deserve to know the quality of what they are buying. More accurate labeling is a win for all Montanans.” Download a video statement HERE. Background: Current United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) rules allow for foreign beef raised in other countries to receive

U.S. CONGRESS– U.S. Senators Steve Daines and Jon Tester and Congressman Matt Rosendale today sent a letter to President Biden supporting Governor Greg Gianforte’s request for a major disaster declaration after a severe windstorm left thousands of Montanans without power in the northeast part of the state. “The damage done to transmission and distribution lines essential to everyday life for Montana families and farmers is far beyond what the state or consumer-members of our local electric cooperatives can alleviate,” the letter states.  “Noting the sheer number of disasters Montana has experienced over the last few years, including, at present, a severe drought and wildfire season, federal assistance

U.S. SENATE– U.S. Senator Steve Daines introduced a bill to maintain President Trump’s Navigable Waters Protection Rule (NWPR) and prevent a return to burdensome regulations like those imposed by the Obama-Biden Waters of the U.S. Rule (WOTUS), which threatened Montana farmers and ranchers. “Montana farmers and ranchers are longstanding stewards of our lands and waterways—they shouldn’t be burdened with more bureaucratic red-tape that would allow the federal government to regulate every pond, puddle, or ditch,” Daines said.  Read the bill text HERE. Background: Senator Daines has been a strong supporter of the NWPR and has often spoken out against the far-reaching, burdensome federal regulations imposed by the 2015 Waters of the United States rule (WOTUS). On July 12, Daines sent

U.S. CONGRESS — U.S. Senators Steve Daines and Jon Tester and Congressman Matt Rosendale today continued their push for drought relief for Montana farmers and ranchers. Daines, Tester and Rosendale are teaming up to urge USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack to provide additional drought relief and flexibilities for Montana agriculture producers located in counties that were not covered by drought designations or federal assistance programs. “Unfortunately, many of the producers who suffered the greatest heat-related losses were either located in counties not covered by the drought designations, experienced losses not covered by drought assistance programs, or both,” the letter states. “Due to the severity of the situation, we believe that additional federal assistance

U.S. SENATE — U.S. Senator Steve Daines today led all 50 Senate Republicans in urging President Biden to abandon his effort to impose a tax increase on Montana family-owned businesses, farms, and ranches. “These changes are a significant tax increase that would hit family-owned businesses, farms, and ranches hard, particularly in rural communities,” the Senators wrote. “These businesses consist largely of illiquid assets that will in many cases need to be sold or leveraged in order to pay the new tax burden. Making these changes could force business operators to sell property, lay off employees, or close their doors just to cover these new tax obligations.”  Read the full text of

U.S. SENATE — Following a push by U.S. Senator Steve Daines and Representative Matt Rosendale, USDA has announced it will open Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) land in Montana for emergency haying and grazing.  “I am pleased to see the USDA listen to my request for this emergency assistance for our farmers and ranchers as we face extreme drought conditions. The USDA should not stop here. We need them to go farther and designate ALL Montana counties as primary natural disaster areas and provide farmers and ranchers additional resources and support,” Daines said. “As Montana experiences historic drought conditions, the Montana agriculture community is

U.S. SENATE — U.S. Senator Steve Daines and Congressman Matt Rosendale today urged USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack to approve Governor Greg Gianforte’s request to designate ALL counties in Montana as primary natural disaster areas due to extreme drought conditions. The letter also includes a request for the authorization of emergency haying and grazing on Conservation Reserve Program land to provide additional forage for livestock.  “As you know, over 90% of Montana is facing drought conditions with eastern Montana significantly impacted. Designating Montana counties as primary natural disaster areas will ensure Montana farmers and ranchers can access critical resources and USDA programs to manage these challenging conditions. Additionally, authorizing emergency haying and grazing

U.S. CONGRESS — U.S. Senator Steve Daines and Congressman Matt Rosendale today urged the Biden administration to open the Charles M. Russell Wildlife Refuge for emergency livestock grazing due to extreme drought conditions in Montana.  “According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, the majority of counties in northeast Montana are experiencing historic, extreme drought conditions threatening the livelihood of rural communities and devastating agricultural operations. We respectfully urge you to immediately allow livestock grazing to be permitted on retired grazing allotments within the Charles M. Russell Wildlife Refuge (CMR) to mitigate hardships felt by ranchers due to the drought,” the letter states. “While 88% of Montana

U.S. SENATE — U.S. Senator Steve Daines reintroduced a bill that would prevent blue states from politicizing the water certification process and shutting down projects such as the Millennium Bulk Terminal, which could have created hundreds of Montana jobs, including tribal jobs, by expanding trade opportunities for Montana coal. “With President Biden’s attacks on made in America energy, it is critical that Congress removes unnecessary roadblocks that are locking up Montana’s rich natural resources,” Daines said. “Washington State abused the water quality certification process to block the Millennium Bulk Terminal, which would have created high paying jobs for Montanans including the Crow Tribe, and had the potential to provide