TREYNOR, Iowa (KMTV) —
- Video shows ... farmers and others gathered in an event center in rural Treynor, Iowa. Congressman Randy Feenstra addresses the crowd.
- Congressman Randy Feenstra (IA-04) is visiting the district this week. He's meeting with constituents about a variety of issues, but he was in Treynor to talk about the farm bill.
- Feenstra says he hopes Congress will have a new farm bill in the spring.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Congress is overdue to pass a new farm bill. It affects everything from crop insurance to food assistance to whether or not foreign nationals can buy U.S. farmland. I'm your Southwest Iowa neighborhood reporter Katrina Markel and I'm in Treynor where Congressman Randy Feenstra fielded questions from local farmers about the bill.
There was a robust discussion around electric vehicles vs. demand for corn and soy-derived ethanol fuel. Jeff Jorgenson is a Fremont County farmer. A former member of the soybean board, he sees a future in sustainable aviation fuel.
Jorgenson said, “We’re going to need more product. We gotta raise more soybeans in the U.S. This sustainable aviation fuel thing is real. The opportunity is real for farmers. We’re going to … we’re going to need farmers to produce more beans across the U.S….”
Other questions included interest rates, carbon capture pipelines and ethanol exports.
One big topic for Feenstra — preserving family-owned farms.
“I believe that large corporations should not be able to buy our land. We want to make sure it’s passed down to the next farmer. There are several states that instituted a ban on corporations buying farmland and I think we need to look at it as Iowans also,” said Feenstra.
Feenstra also says that he helped introduce legislation earlier this year, in a budget bill, that would keep foreign adversaries — like China — from purchasing ag land.
Farmers, with lots of questions and concerns, hope to have a new bill with some answers by the time planting season starts.
In Treynor, I’m your Southwest Iowa neighborhood reporter, Katrina Markel
