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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June 3, 2021| View More
Tester Urges Biden Administration to Investigate Attack on Meat Industry, Beef Up Critical Cybersecurity Infrastructure
Following a ransomware attack that forced beef processing plants to shutter and threatened the nation’s food supply, U.S. Senator Jon Tester is urging the Biden Administration to thoroughly investigate the incident and to beef up America’s cybersecurity infrastructure.
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June 2, 2021| View More
Tester and Colleagues Demand Investigation into Consolidation, Unfair Competition in U.S. Cattle Market
U.S. Senator Jon Tester and a group of his bipartisan colleagues are calling on the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate whether the control large meatpackers have over the beef processing market violates U.S. antitrust laws and principles of fair competition.
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April 21, 2021| View More
Tester Highlights Pressures Facing Montana Farmers and Ranchers From Market Consolidation & Unfair Competition, Demands Action
Highlighting the urgent need to combat consolidation in the agricultural sector, U.S. Senator Jon Tester put the needs …
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April 20, 2021| View More
Tester, Daines Call for Hearing on St. Mary’s Reinvestment Act
U.S. Senators Jon Tester and Steve Daines are calling on the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources (ENR) to hold a hearing on their St. Mary's Reinvestment Act to make rehabilitating the St. Mary's Diversion Dam more affordable.
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March 24, 2021| View More
Tester Statement on USDA Pandemic Assistance for Producers Program that Will Open Up Billions for Montana Ag Producers
U.S. Senator Jon Tester today released the following statement after the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that billions of dollars in coronavirus relief funding will be opened up to bring critical financial assistance to agricultural producers impacted by COVID-19 market disruptions:
