Positions and Views of Mark Dayton
on Food & Agriculture
| Currently Elected Governor & Lt Governor, Minnesota |
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Mark Dayton's positions and views on the issues:
Links are only provided where we have information. The first link is a
report of all issues and questions made available to the candidates.
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List of Issues | Biographical | Reasons & Objectives
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| Food & Agriculture |
Positions and Views |
| Agriculture, a General Statement |
Mark continues to advocate strongly for Minnesota 's family farms and rural communities. As a Member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, Mark is committed to restoring the economic well-being of rural America. He pushed vigorously to pass the 2002 Farm Bill, which brought much-needed relief to farmers by rebuilding a dependable farm safety net, encouraging conservation initiatives, and providing billions of dollars to rural communities for economic development. He works tirelessly to secure millions of dollars in federal disaster assistance to areas ravaged by floods and droughts throughout the state.
Mark continues to fight for fair trade policies which would level the playing field for U.S. farmers as they seek to remain competitive in global markets, and he is striving to help Minnesota 's farmers sell their goods in new markets, such as Cuba. He works to ensure that America 's free trade agreements will never undermine the Farm Bill programs he labored so hard to enact. He remains a strong supporter of farm-based, renewable energy such as ethanol, biodiesel and biomass, and drives a Ford Explorer with a "flexible fuel" engine, designed to run on 85% ethanol fuel.
From corn, sugar beets and winter wheat to turkeys, hogs and dairy, agriculture is a way of life in Minnesota. It is the backbone of our state's history, culture, and, most importantly, it is a critical part of our economy. Minnesota is the sixth largest agricultural producer in the United States. Minnesota 's farmers feed more than just Minnesotans -- Minnesota is the seventh largest agricultural exporter in the United States. Our farmers exported $2.6 billion worth of crops and livestock in 2003.
Did you know that more than half of Minnesota 's land is devoted to farming? The state's 79,800 farms occupy over 27.6 million acres. Minnesota leads the nation in production of sugar beets, turkeys and green peas, and is second in the country for spring wheat, canola, [Response was truncated to maximum response length of 2000 characters.]
Source: Candidate Website (10/02/2004) |
| Farm Bill |
Mark, who is a member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, supported passage of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002, also known as the 2002 Farm Bill. Mark regards the Farm Bill as critical legislation aimed at helping farmers and rural America meet the modern challenges confronting agricultural producers.
Most provisions of the 2002 Farm Bill will expire in September of 2007. While Mark will no longer hold a seat in the U.S. Senate at that time, until his term expires in January of 2007, he will continue to use his seat on the Agriculture Committee to fight for Minnesota farmers' priorities.
The 2002 Farm Bill includes a number of improvements for farmers and rural communities, including a new, countercyclical price-support program for dairy farmers. The Milk Income Loss Contract (MILC) program is the first dairy program to provide fair benefits to dairy farmers across the country, unlike earlier compacts which pit farmers from different regions against each other. Since the inception of the MILC program, Minnesota dairy farmers have received $163.6 million in benefits, fourth in the nation after Wisconsin, New York and Pennsylvania.
The MILC program expired on September 30, 2005. The Budget Reconciliation bill (S. 1932) that passed Senate on December 21, 2005 includes a two-year extension of MILC, but with a 25 percent reduction in benefits. Final action on this legislation is expected early in 2006.
The Farm Bill also includes new conservation programs to encourage sound environmental practices; strengthened nutrition assistance; and a requirement that meat, fish, and produce be labeled with their country of origin. In addition, the Farm Bill includes an amendment authored by Mark to provide $5 million in grant money between fiscal years 2003 and 2007 to educate the public about the benefits of using biodiesel fuel.
Although the Farm Bill is an improvement over previous existing farm policy, some of the bill's best initiative [Response was truncated to maximum response length of 2000 characters.]
Source: Candidate Website (10/02/2004) |
| These are available issue topics for which there were no responses. |
| Food, a General Statement |
| Agriculture Reforms |
| Genetically Engineered Food |
| Food and Drug Administration (FDA) |
| Protecting Food Safety |
| Country of Origin Labeling |
| Department of Agriculture |
| Family Farm |
| Farm Subsidies |
| Farmer Owned Biofuel Refineries |
| Farm Service Agency (FSA) Closings |
| Farm Crop Supports |
| Farm Corporation Subsidies |
| Other Farm Assistance |