Millions of Americans tuned in last Wednesday night to see what President Biden had to say about the first 100 days of his Administration and his plans for our country. Unfortunately for farmers, ranchers, and agricultural communities like ours in Central Washington, he had little to offer. 

Instead of discussing real, concrete solutions that would help our farmers and ranchers through the recovery of a global pandemic, the President spent two hours pontificating on his radical agenda and social welfare programs.

It would be irresponsible to pay for an infrastructure bill on the backs of farmers and ranchers. The agriculture industry was hit hard by the COVID-19 economic and public health crisis, and it is a slap in the face to our agricultural communities for our challenges to be left out of the equation — especially when we have real solutions.

In the last couple of weeks alone, I’ve introduced several such solutions. The Conservation and Innovative Climate Partnership Act and the Continuous Improvement and Accountability in Organic Stahe Conservation and Innovative Climate Partnership Act would allocate funding for land-grant institutions to partner with local farmers to boost conservation and climate practices. Farmers are already responsible stewards of the land, and this legislation empowers producers to voluntarily adopt practices that suit their individual needs while enabling the federal government to build on the successes already taking place in agricultural communities.

Additionally, the Continuous Improvement and Accountability in Organic Standards Act (CIAO Act) is bipartisan legislation that will help our organic farmers by reducing government red tape on their innovative practices. It establishes a new framework for advancing organic standards and improving oversight and enforcement of new rules and guidance. 

Only when the federal government gets out of the way of Americans can we innovate and achieve real progress and prosperity. 

But President Biden clearly hasn’t learned this yet. When he finally deigned to mention the agriculture industry, it was in the context of addressing climate change: “Farmers planting cover crops, so they can reduce carbon dioxide in the air and get paid for doing it.” 

This is not the type of support or leadership our producers need from the President. Farmers are helping to improve our environment and address climate concerns, but this is nothing new. Absolutely, cover crops are an important component to habitat, land, and water conservation practices. Growers have employed and perfected these practices for thousands of years, yet President Biden touted the idea as if it were a revolutionary practice.