[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Con. Res. 36 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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116th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. CON. RES. 36
Supporting the Farmers Bill of Rights.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
February 11, 2020
Mr. Booker (for himself and Mr. Merkley) submitted the following
concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on
Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
_______________________________________________________________________
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Supporting the Farmers Bill of Rights.
Whereas the Center for American Progress reported mergers and acquisitions have
increased corporate concentration across agricultural markets, including
monopolizing 85 percent market share of the corn seed market through the
4 largest firms in the seed sector;
Whereas according to the Open Markets Institute, the excessive concentration in
the poultry industry has resulted in half of chicken farmers working in
regions dominated by only 1 or 2 processing monopolies, leaving them
with little, if any, bargaining power for better contracts or growing
terms;
Whereas the Organization for Competitive Markets reported cattle prices paid to
farmers from 2013 to 2016 dropped by 13 percent, while during the same
period prices paid for beef by consumers at the grocery store increased
by 4 percent, leading them to conclude that the prices paid to farmers
and by consumers are not the result of a fair and just market;
Whereas corporate concentration and abusive practices in America's food and farm
sector are at detrimental highs, harming consumers, rural communities
and family farmers and ranchers, including historically underserved
farmers and ranchers, by--
(1) diminishing the availability of seed choice;
(2) limiting the accessibility of domestic farming lands;
(3) increasing food prices and market manipulation; and
(4) hindering access to traditional foodways and agricultural
practices;
Whereas according to the American Farm Bureau Federation, farm loan
delinquencies are at a 6-year high and have increased over the past 24
quarters;
Whereas increasing farm debt, decreasing incomes, and deteriorating overall
conditions for family farmers and ranchers have caused farm foreclosures
and chapter 12 bankruptcies to steadily increase over the past year;
Whereas, according to the 2019 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Special
Report, agriculture, forestry, and other land use activities accounted
for 23 percent of net global anthropogenic emissions contributing to
human-induced climate change, which is resulting in the ongoing
deterioration of food systems, including irreversible impacts to the
traditional farming practices and foodways of indigenous peoples and
their lands;
Whereas, according to the Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting, the
foreign acquisition of and increasing investments in American farmlands
and agribusiness presents a risk to food system security and contributes
to increasing prices of the country's farmland beyond the financial
ability of local residents to purchase domestic farm land; and
Whereas monopolization and an increase of large corporations and foreign
interests in America's farming sector, combined with a changing climate,
creates an unprecedented negative impact on the regional economic
strength and security of rural and Tribal communities: Now, therefore,
be it
Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring),
SECTION 1. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
That--
(1) the Congress recognizes the many contributions that
family farmers and ranchers, including historically underserved
farmers and ranchers, have made to America's agricultural
industry, local food production, food sovereignty, rich variety
of the country's abundant food supply, and traditional and
cultural agricultural practices; and
(2) it is the sense of the Congress that the Federal
Government should encourage support for family farmers and
ranchers, in rural communities and on indigenous lands, and
ensure access to open and fair agricultural markets in the
United States, by introducing the Farmers Bill of Rights.
SEC. 2. FARMERS BILL OF RIGHTS.
The Farmer's Bill of Rights is as follows:
(1) Right to fair, open markets.--There must be a
competitive open marketplace to buy seeds, fertilizer, and
other goods, and to sell produce, livestock, and meat for all
people. It has become nearly impossible for independent
farmers, processors, seed suppliers, mechanics, and other rural
businesses to compete with multinational monopolies. Farmers
need strong antitrust safeguards.
(2) Right to feed their community.--Multinational
corporations have taken control of the country's food system by
shutting out independent processing and distribution
businesses, consequentially locking farmers out of their local
markets and denying domestic consumers local, regional, and
culturally traditional foods. In the United States, Native
Americans suffer from the highest rates of food insecurity with
African Americans and Hispanic communities more food insecure
than the national average, which could be remedied through
investment in local food systems, greater regulatory
flexibility, and Tribal self-governance programs.
(3) Right to fair capital.--With the loss of community and
regional banks, coupled with the extraction of wealth from
rural communities by large corporations, farmers and local
businesses cannot access the capital necessary to operate.
Congress must ensure that all farmers, regardless of
background, can access the credit and capital they need. This
includes Native American producers and Tribal agricultural
enterprises that often must contract with Federal agencies for
resources, and African-American farmers who have endured
historical discrimination accessing farm credit.
(4) Right to protect natural resources.--If large
corporations want to purchase land and operate megafarms, they
have a duty to protect the Earth's soil, water, and natural
resources, as rural and indigenous farmers have for
generations, including the protection of acequias that sustain
accessibility to water, local agriculture, and traditional
irrigation practices. Corporate megafarms have a duty to
support conservation by following reasonable standards for
aquifer use, manure storage, and other land-use guidelines.
Preserving land-based agricultural resources is vital to
beginning to mitigate the impacts of climate change and
preserve natural resources for both the tradition of
diversified rural family farming and the cultural
sustainability of indigenous agricultural communities.
(5) Right to local land control, property rights, and
protection of tribal lands and sovereignty.--Counties and other
local governments should have the ability to pass and enforce
ordinances regulating the size, placement, and scope of
megafarms to protect the value of rural family farmers' land
and the surrounding environment. African-American farmers and
other historically underserved farmers and ranchers should
retain their land ownership and rights. Tribal Governments are
sovereign nations with the inherent right to independently
control their lands through self-governance programs to
safeguard traditional foods and medicines for their citizens'
wellbeing and preservation of ceremonial practices of American
Indian and Alaska Natives, including the expansion of
historically diminished indigenous hunting, fishing, and
gathering rights.
(6) Right to food security.--Foreign ownership hurts family
farmers and ranchers and raises national security concerns. A
strict cap on foreign ownership of farms, farmland, and
agribusinesses should be set to ensure that all American
farmers can access domestic farm land.
(7) Right to repair.--Huge corporations and their Wall
Street backers have gone so far as to prevent local businesses
and farmers from fixing their own tractors and equipment,
forcing them to pay corporate technicians to make all repairs.
A farmer should have the right to fix their own equipment as
they see fit.
(8) Right to transparent labeling.--A farmer should be able
to label their food accurately and transparently--including
strong country of origin labeling standards.
(9) Right to rural opportunity.--Monopolies have hollowed
out local economies and taken away the traditional pathways of
opportunity for free enterprise that helped communities thrive.
No farmer should have to choose between continuing to operate
their farm and getting access to good schools and health care.
No farmer should have to choose between farming and providing a
future for their children. Farmers need the right to basic
services in rural communities.
(10) Right to preserve a diverse community of farmers and
farming practices.--For too long, historically underserved
farmers and ranchers have lacked a voice on local and national
agricultural policies and development. Congress must ensure
that historically underserved farmers and ranchers have fair
opportunities in the market, a seat at the table in policy
development, access to culturally relevant training and
technical assistance, and equal treatment by all Federal
agencies.
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