MINNESOTA, USA — U.S. House Representative Angie Craig won the top spot for Democrats on the House Agriculture Committee, and will represent Minnesota as ranking member.
On Wednesday, Sen. Amy Klobuchar won the top spot for Democrats in the Senate Agriculture Committee.
"I wanted to work on behalf of Minnesota’s farmers, make sure Americans could feed their families, and boost our rural economy," Klobuchar said in a statement.
In a Zoom interview with KARE 11, Craig echoed Klobuchar's sentiment.
"I'm pleased that my colleagues have selected me to be the ranking member," said Craig. "I've served on this committee for two years, and we should have already completed the farm bill."
Craig hopes she will have more leverage to do something about that. She says she will, and admits must, work across the aisle to get the bill passed. Republicans outnumber democrats in the committee.
"My job as ranking member is going to be to get Democrats to vote for the Farm Bill," Craig said.
The Farm Bill is a package of legislation passed typically every five years that covers a number of programs like crop insurance, SNAP benefits, conservation and more.
Craig and her colleagues have been trying to pass a farm bill for the past two years. She says that she's hopeful they can do it, but knows it'll continue to be a battle.
Amanda Durow with the Minnesota Farm Bureau says the organization, which has endorsed Craig in the past, agrees that her bipartisanship is badly needed, with some verbiage in the current bill that is well over a decade old.
"As a dairy and crop farmer, it's very keen for me to maintain crop insurance," said Durow. "It's a key tool to really manage risk on my farm. They're a backup if we again come in those weather disasters, as you've seen and across our state of Minnesota, they're more frequent."
Craig also says it will be key to support co-ops so small farmers can maintain sustainability for generations to come.
"I think we need to do everything in our power to make sure that these retailers have to compete with each other so that consumers can get the best price that they can get," said Craig.
Craig says it is expected the Farm Bill from 2018 will be extended through the year.