Agriculture
As the U.S. Senate’s only working farmer, Jon knows that agriculture is the backbone of Montana’s economy.
Jon farms the same land in northcentral Montana that his grandparents homesteaded over a century ago, and he understands firsthand the challenges facing family farmers and ranchers.
As a member of the Senate’s Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee, Jon knows Montana producers need a Farm Bill that strengthens safety nets and allows family farms and ranches to survive periods of low commodity prices. The Farm Bill needs to be a tool that farmers and ranchers can use to increase competition in the marketplace, invest in new research, and increase access to ports along the northern border.
Jon is also fighting to expand access to markets so farmers can sell their products in countries like China and Cuba while maintaining and expanding market access in Mexico and Canada. Jon is committed to working with the Administration on trade agreements that meet the needs of producers while keeping jobs here in Montana.
Jon is also fighting to cut taxes for Montana’s farmers and ranchers, ensuring that they can keep their equipment up to date.
Above all, Jon is fighting to ensure Montana producers have access to the resources they need to grow their bottom lines, strengthen their communities, and pass down their operations to the next generation—just like Jon hopes to pass his farm down to his grandkids.
Related News
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April 18, 2019| View More
Tester Demands Testing on Brazilian Beef, Introduces Bill to Keep Americans Safe
(Big Sandy, Mont.) - Following Brazil's request to lift the ban on beef imports to the United States, U.S. Senator Jon Tester introduced a bill that would create a working group to assess if Brazilian beef and poultry are safe to eat.
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April 17, 2019| View More
Thanks to Tester’s Efforts, Montana Farmers Can Now Grow Hemp this Season
(Big Sandy, Mont.) - After a weeks-long effort, U.S. Senator Jon Tester has successfully pushed the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to allow Montana producers to import hemp seeds from Canada-just in time for spring planting.
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April 15, 2019| View More
Tester to Propose Fix to Burdensome Restrictions on Livestock Haulers
(U.S. Senate) - Keeping his promise to Montana's ranchers, U.S. Senator Jon Tester will reintroduce bipartisan legislation to ease burdensome regulations on livestock haulers.
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April 11, 2019| View More
Tester Grills Agriculture Secretary, Calls for Immediate Approval of Montana’s Hemp Plan
(U.S. Senate)-U.S. Senator Jon Tester today grilled Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue over the agency's failure to give the green light to Montana farmers to plant hemp this growing season.
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February 17, 2019| View More
Tester Secures Electronic Logging Device Prohibition for Montana Farmers and Ranchers
Legislation to fund the government that was secured this week by U.S. Senator Jon Tester and a small bipartisan group of lawmakers includes significant resources and policy wins for critical Montana agriculture programs, including a prohibition on the Department of Transportation from enforcing electronic logging device (ELD) rules on livestock …
