Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet, along with former Governor Roy Romer, today met with local farmers, ranchers, and agriculture group leaders at the John Deere dealership in Lamar to discuss the Farm Bill, which expires at the end of September.

As a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, Senator Bennet helped write a bipartisan reauthorization of the Farm Bill that the Senate passed in June. When Congress starts back up in early September, the Senate and House will be tasked with working out the differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill.

Earlier this month, Bennet was selected to be a member of the Conference Committee that will negotiate those differences.

“Our producers desperately need the predictability that comes with a full, five-year reauthorization of the Farm Bill,” Bennet said.  “The bipartisan bill we passed in the Senate would provide this certainty by reforming farm policy programs to better support farmers and ranchers, consolidating and streamlining programs, and reducing the deficit.  We can’t let the Farm Bill fall victim to partisan gridlock and Washington dysfunction.”

This event was part of Bennet’s tour of the Eastern Plains to highlight issues facing the region and discuss federal legislation that significantly affects rural Coloradans, including the bipartisan immigration and farm bills.