Maintains Measures to Improve Rural Energy Efficiency, Crop Insurance, Focus on Water Quantity

Includes Bennet Provisions for Forest Health, Improved Conservation Programs, and Farm Animal Research

Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet today joined a majority of his colleagues on the Farm Bill conference committee to sign the conference report, moving the bill one step closer to becoming law. The five-year bill reforms farm policy to better support farmers and ranchers, consolidates and streamlines programs, and would reduce the deficit by $24 billion.

As a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee and the Farm Bill conference committee, Bennet helped craft the bill using input he received from dozens of listening sessions and meetings held throughout Colorado.

“Today is long overdue for Colorado’s farmers, ranchers, and rural communities, who are hard at work every day doing their jobs wondering what has taken Congress so long to get its own job done,” Bennet said. “This bill gives some much-needed certainty to our producers and puts in place new tools and resources to support rural communities, keep our forests healthy, and protect water quantity as well as quality. Both the House and Senate should quickly take up and pass this final version of the bill.”

As a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, Bennet helped write the bipartisan Farm Bill that passed the Senate in June.

Agriculture adds $40 billion to Colorado’s economy every year, making the Farm Bill particularly relevant. It also supports tourism and other vital industries with its increased focus on conservation and forest health – two priorities Bennet fought to include in the Senate bill. The bill also includes a one-year extension of PILT funding to help rural counties help pay for critical services like search and rescue operations, road maintenance, and fire protection.