While I’ve been out on the road traveling from town to town on my 36 County Tour, the sights and sounds of this year’s harvest are on full display. Combines, tractors, and grain carts dot the fields, farmers are hauling their crops to market, and our farm families are preparing for winter. Our annual harvest serves is an important reminder that agriculture powers our economy and supports our rural communities. Born and raised in rural Iowa, I know the significance of agriculture to our state, and it’s why I’ve been the strongest voice for our farmers and producers in Congress since I was first elected.

The other day, during my 36 County Tour and Feenstra Agriculture Tour, I had the chance to get out into the fields and hop in a combine with Cody Allen — a young farmer from Humboldt County. After chatting about the progress of harvest on his farm, we talked about various agricultural policies that not only can help him succeed, but also support all our farmers throughout the 4th Congressional District. These visits are crucial for me to ensure that I fully understand the challenges facing our producers on the ground and can then take our conversations to Congress and come up with solutions.

The most important order of business ahead of Congress before the end of the year is getting the Farm Bill signed into law. Following extensive conversations and meeting with our farmers and producers in every corner of the country, my Republican colleagues on the House Agriculture Committee and I passed the Farm Bill out of committee in May. We strengthened crop insurance, increased reference prices for commodities like corn and soybeans, and fully funded agricultural education initiatives for the next generation. The Farm Bill also included several pieces of legislation that I authored like protecting our farmland from China, building refrigeration infrastructure to help ship our perishable commodities worldwide, and lowering the cost of crop insurance for young and beginning farmers. However, since May, Senate Democrats have failed to introduce their own version of the Farm Bill and have instead decided to play politics with the livelihoods of our producers. I will continue to demand swift passage of the Farm Bill because we have an obligation to our farmers to get it done before 2025.

As a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, I’ve also been involved in urging the Biden-Harris administration to open new export markets for our producers. To date, President Biden and Vice President Harris have done virtually nothing to help our farmers gain access to new markets, which has been particularly devastating given our current low commodity prices. Without building demand for our corn and soybeans abroad, our producers will continue to face lower prices and be forced to sell their product at a loss. It doesn’t have to be this way. For example, the Farm Bill doubles funding for the Market Access Program (MAP) and the Foreign Market Development Program (FMD) to help our farmers and agricultural organizations market Iowa-made products across the globe. Another aspect, which I briefly mentioned above, is my FRIDGE Act, which will help us construct cold storage and make port improvements to get our commodities to consumers worldwide. I recently had the opportunity to tour Lineage — a cold storage facility in Denison — and emphasized the importance of developing similar facilities both at home and internationally. Opening new export markets for our farmers and producers will continue to be a top priority for me.

Additionally, I remain committed to permanently repealing the death tax on our family farms and family-owned businesses. This double tax unfairly punishes our farm families and small businesses during a tragic time in anyone’s life — the death of a loved one. The federal government doesn’t miss any opportunity to tax us, and the death tax is one of the most egregious examples. That’s why I introduced the Death Tax Repeal Act to get rid of the death tax for good so that our farmers and businesses can keep more of their hard-earned money and invest those resources in their operations and their employees. This legislation is supported by more than 170 of my colleagues, and I will continue to do everything possible to make it the law of the land.

Harvest is a great time to show appreciation for our farmers and recognize the invaluable work they do every day to feed and fuel our country and the world. Meeting with producers on my 36 County Tour, passing a strong Farm Bill for Iowa, increasing agricultural trade, and permanently eliminating the death tax are just a few ways that I will continue to support our agricultural community in Congress. Advocating for agriculture and standing with our farm families is a promise that I will always keep — during harvest and throughout the entire year.

U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Hull, represents Iowa’s Fourth Congressional District.