New Ag Legislation By Rep. Newhouse Aims to Protect Farmers

On Thursday, Donald Trump met with congressional Republicans and then with GOP senators, according to Agripulse. U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., a former director of the state's agriculture department, told Trump that farmers in his district were worried about his criticism of trade agreements and "needed something to give them confidence that he would do the right things related to trade.

Trump's response, according to Newhouse? “He was very supportive of increasing trade, and he wanted fair deals for producers and promised that he would be very focused on increasing trade opportunities.” And on Friday Newhouse Introduced legislation to provide regulatory certainty for farms -- in his words, “ to clarify which federal rules apply to farmers, livestock producers, and dairies, and to clarify and to reassert Congress’ legislative intent regarding nutrient management practices.”

He said “The goal of environmental rules should be to assist agriculture producers to improve nutrient management and reduce their environmental footprint, not subject them to lawsuits and put them out of business. And that it is unfair for agricultural nutrients to be exempt from law, then have a court find farmers at fault for non-compliance. Complying with appropriate federal regulations should never be a guessing game that results in increased liability, especially when many farmers are taking proactive, voluntary steps to manage land and water quality.