Scott VanderWal, President of the South Dakota Farm Bureau, made the following statement regarding the passage of the Farm Bill by the U.S. House of Representatives:

“On behalf of South Dakota Farm Bureau, I commend the House of Representatives for passing this Farm Bill.  It doesn’t contain everything that was on our must-have list, but this bill does provide some much-needed certainty for agriculture and at the same time helps deal with federal budget woes by identifying sizeable cost-savings.  The retroactive Livestock Disaster Program in this bill is especially timely as ranch families here are still dealing with the massive losses from the Atlas Blizzard.  We thank Congresswoman Noem for her leadership in the Conference Committee, and we urge the Senate to take up and pass the bill soon so American agriculture can have a firm footing as we go forward with the business of providing food for a growing world.”  

VanderWal is a third-generation farmer from Volga, S.D.  South Dakota Farm Bureau represents more than 13,800 farm, ranch, and rural families across the state, South Dakota’s largest general agriculture organization.