U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH), a senior member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, announced the introduction of several food and agriculture bills he is working to include in the 2023 Farm Bill that will support Ohio famers and producers. Brown is helping to write the upcoming 2023 Farm Bill and has talked with farmers and other agriculture representatives at roundtables around the state over the last year as a part of the 2023 Farm Bill planning process.
Brown’s legislative package includes the following bills:
The Converting Our Waste Sustainably (COWS) Act: Brown, along with Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA) introduced bipartisan, bicameral legislation that would establish a new manure management conservation program to improve water quality, cut costs, and help farmers increase profits while taking steps to minimize ag runoff – which contributes to harmful algal blooms in Lake Erie and Grand Lake St. Marys.
This legislation is endorsed by the National Milk Producers Federation, Danone North America, the Environmental Working Group, and the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition.
“Family farms, livestock and dairy operations are the backbone of Ohio’s agricultural economy,” said Sen. Brown. “Our bill is a commonsense way to provide new tools in the 2023 Farm Bill for Ohio’s livestock and dairy operations to cut costs and boost profits while reducing pollution and protecting our lakes, rivers, and streams.”
“The US dairy industry is working on a goal to be carbon neutral by 2050, and having support to upgrade on-farm manure management systems would be a valuable resource for farmers in the journey towards carbon neutrality,” said Luke VanTilburg, Co-Owner of MVP Dairy, Celina, Ohio.
“Danone North America is proud to support Sen. Brown and his efforts with the COWS Act. Dairy yogurt is an essential nutritional option for many families and we know that by partnering with dairy farms we can work together with practical on-farm solutions that can significantly reduce GHG emissions such as methane, protect our waters and increase profitability for farms. The COWS Act will bring more financeable opportunities for dairies of all sizes across the country,” said Chris Adamo, VP Public Affairs and Regenerative Ag Policy, Danone North America.
Supporting Urban and Innovative Farmers Act: Brown, along with Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA), introduced legislation to support the growth of urban and suburban farmers through increased programmatic and research funding. The bill would make programmatic reforms to the Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production (OUAIP) to improve the content and delivery of technical assistance to urban and innovative producers, enable cooperative agreements with community experts, increases direct access to grant funds for farmers, and scales up composting and food waste initiatives.
Source: senate.gov
Categories: Ohio, Government & Policy