The Republican lawmakers spent part of the afternoon touring the Cargill plant west of Fort Dodge in the ag industrial park called Iowa’s Crossroads of Global Innovation.

Before setting off into the sprawling plant, Ernst and Feenstra commented on the Farm Bill work so far.

Ernst said senators are determined to get their Farm Bill work done by the end of this year.

Feenstra said he has introduced two measures that will be included in the House version of the bill.

-Messenger photo by Bill Shea
U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, a Republican, and U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Hull, visited with some Cargill employees before taking a tour of the plant in Webster County. From left are Emily Dimiero, Sarah Brenholt, Sarah Jelken, Mike Wagner, Ernst, Sydney Pokorny, Eric Paquette, Feenstra, Josh Witt, Justin Davis and Katie Hall.

He said one of them would lower crop insurance rates by 10 to 15 percent for beginning farmers.

The other, he said, would establish a low interest loan program through the U.S. Department of Agriculture that would help beginning farmers purchase new precision farming equipment. He said if the program is approved, a farmer could borrow up to $500,000 with a 2 percent interest rate.

Ernst said she is moving to put a stop to the California law that will impact how hogs are raised in Iowa. Called Proposition 12, that law establishes minimum spaces that hogs must be kept in and makes it illegal to sell pork from hogs that weren’t raised in the required space.. The U.S. Supreme Court recently upheld the law.

“We have the responsibility to come up with a proposal that does not allow states to dictate how we raise livestock,” she said.

She said Iowa’s pork producers use scientific and humane methods to raise their livestock. She said someone who lives in downtown Los Angeles who has no idea how livestock is raised should not be dictating how it is done.

She said her bill would make Proposition 12 and any other potential similar state laws illegal.

Renewable Fuels Standard

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issues a Renewable Fuels Standard which dictates how much ethanol and biodiesel is to be used in the nation’s fuel supply.

Both Feenstra and Ernst said they were not happy with the recently issued Renewable Fuels Standard, which they said does nothing to expand the renewable fuels industry.

Ernst summed up her assessment of the standard as “not good.”

“They’re not growing,” she said.

She said the administration of President Joe Biden claims to be in favor of reducing carbon emissions but is “not taking advantage of home-grown biofuels and renewable biodiesel.”

Feenstra said he is “really disappointed” in the latest Renewable Fuels Standard.

“I just don’t think the EPA understands the capability of the ethanol and biodiesel industry, and that it can meet the demand,” he said.

“They stated they weren’t sure there was enough capacity,” he added. “We see it quite differently.”

He added that using ethanol can save consumers 25 to 30 cents per gallon of fuel.

Russia

Ernst said the United States should not comment or get involved in any way in the recent upheaval in Russia.

“Let it play out,” the senator said. “It is not our responsibility to engage.”

Ernst predicted that the world “will continue to see challenges to Vladimer Putin’s authority in Russia.”

She said it is critical for the United States to continue to support Ukraine in its battle against Russia.

“It is important that we see Russia defeated,” she said.