Supporting the Farmers Bill of Rights.

IV 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. CON. RES. 88 Supporting the Farmers Bill of Rights. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES FEBRUARY 6, 2020 Ms. HAALAND (for herself, Ms. PINGREE, Ms. LEE of California, Ms. MCCOL- LUM, Mr. KHANNA, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Mr. GRIJALVA, and Ms. DELAURO) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was re- ferred to the Committee on Agriculture 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 exces- sive 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 lit- tle, if any, bargaining power for better contracts or grow- ing terms; Whereas the Organization for Competitive Markets reported cattle prices paid to farmers from 2013 to 2016 dropped VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:01 Feb 07, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HC88.IH HC88 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •HCON 88 IH 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 farm- ers and ranchers, including historically underserved farm- ers 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 ag- ricultural practices; Whereas according to the American Farm Bureau Federa- tion, farm loan delinquencies are at a 6-year high and have increased over the past 24 quarters; Whereas increasing farm debt, decreasing incomes, and dete- riorating overall conditions for family farmers and ranch- ers have caused farm foreclosures and chapter 12 bank- ruptcies 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-in- duced climate change, which is resulting in the ongoing deterioration of food systems, including irreversible im- pacts to the traditional farming practices and foodways of indigenous peoples and their lands; VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:01 Feb 07, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HC88.IH HC88 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •HCON 88 IH Whereas, according to the Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting, the foreign acquisition of and increasing in- vestments in American farmlands and agribusiness pre- sents a risk to food system security and contributes to in- creasing prices of the country’s farmland beyond the fi- nancial 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, com- bined 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 House of Representatives (the Senate 1 concurring), 2 SECTION 1. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 3 That— 4 (1) the Congress recognizes the many contribu- 5 tions that family farmers and ranchers, including 6 historically underserved farmers and ranchers, have 7 made to America’s agricultural industry, local food 8 production, food sovereignty, rich variety of the 9 country’s abundant food supply, and traditional and 10 cultural agricultural practices; and 11 (2) it is the sense of the Congress that the Fed- 12 eral Government should encourage support for fam- 13 ily farmers and ranchers, in rural communities and 14 on indigenous lands, and ensure access to open and 15 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:01 Feb 07, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HC88.IH HC88 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •HCON 88 IH fair agricultural markets in the United States, by in- 1 troducing the Farmers Bill of Rights. 2 SEC. 2. FARMERS BILL OF RIGHTS. 3 The Farmer’s Bill of Rights is as follows: 4 (1) RIGHT TO FAIR, OPEN MARKETS.—There 5 must be a competitive open marketplace to buy 6 seeds, fertilizer, and other goods, and to sell 7 produce, livestock, and meat for all people. It has 8 become nearly impossible for independent farmers, 9 processors, seed suppliers, mechanics, and other 10 rural businesses to compete with multinational mo- 11 nopolies. Farmers need strong antitrust safeguards. 12 (2) RIGHT TO FEED THEIR COMMUNITY.—Mul- 13 tinational corporations have taken control of the 14 country’s food system by shutting out independent 15 processing and distribution businesses, consequen- 16 tially locking farmers out of their local markets and 17 denying domestic consumers local, regional, and cul- 18 turally traditional foods. In the United States, Na- 19 tive Americans suffer from the highest rates of food 20 insecurity with African Americans and Hispanic 21 communities more food insecure than the national 22 average, which could be remedied through invest- 23 ment in local food systems, greater regulatory flexi- 24 bility, and Tribal self-governance programs. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:01 Feb 07, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HC88.IH HC88 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 5 •HCON 88 IH (3) RIGHT TO FAIR CAPITAL.—With the loss of 1 community and regional banks, coupled with the ex- 2 traction of wealth from rural communities by large 3 corporations, farmers and local businesses cannot 4 access the capital necessary to operate. Congress 5 must ensure that all farmers, regardless of back- 6 ground, can access the credit and capital they need. 7 This includes Native American producers and Tribal 8 agricultural enterprises that often must contract 9 with Federal agencies for resources, and African- 10 American farmers who have endured historical dis- 11 crimination accessing farm credit. 12 (4) RIGHT TO PROTECT NATURAL RE- 13 SOURCES.—If large corporations want to purchase 14 land and operate megafarms, they have a duty to 15 protect the Earth’s soil, water, and natural re- 16 sources, as rural and indigenous farmers have for 17 generations. This includes the protection of acequias 18 that sustain accessibility to water, local agriculture, 19 and traditional irrigation practices. Corporate 20 megafarms have a duty to support conservation by 21 following reasonable standards for aquifer use, ma- 22 nure storage, and other land-use guidelines. Pre- 23 serving land-based agricultural resources is vital to 24 beginning to mitigate the impacts of climate change 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:01 Feb 07, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HC88.IH HC88 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 6 •HCON 88 IH and preserve natural resources for both the tradition 1 of diversified rural family farming and the cultural 2 sustainability of indigenous agricultural commu- 3 nities. 4 (5) RIGHT TO LOCAL LAND CONTROL, PROP- 5 ERTY RIGHTS, AND PROTECTION OF TRIBAL LANDS 6 AND SOVEREIGNTY.—Counties and other local gov- 7 ernments should have the ability to pass and enforce 8 ordinances regulating the size, placement, and scope 9 of megafarms to protect the value of rural family 10 farmers’ land and the surrounding environment. Af- 11 rican-American farmers and other historically under- 12 served farmers and ranchers should retain their land 13 ownership and rights. Tribal Governments are sov- 14 ereign nations with the inherent right to independ- 15 ently control their lands through self-governance 16 programs to safeguard traditional foods and medi- 17 cines for their citizens’ wellbeing and preservation of 18 ceremonial practices of American Indian and Alaska 19 Natives, including the expansion of historically di- 20 minished indigenous hunting, fishing, and gathering 21 rights. 22 (6) RIGHT TO FOOD SECURITY.—Foreign own- 23 ership hurts family farmers and ranchers and raises 24 national security concerns. A strict cap on foreign 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:01 Feb 07, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HC88.IH HC88 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 7 •HCON 88 IH ownership of farms, farmland, and agribusinesses 1 should be set to ensure that all American farmers 2 can access domestic farm land. 3 (7) RIGHT TO REPAIR.—Huge corporations and 4 their Wall Street backers have gone so far as to pre- 5 vent local businesses and farmers from fixing their 6 own tractors and equipment, forcing them to pay 7 corporate technicians to make all repairs. A farmer 8 should have the right to fix their own equipment as 9 they see fit. 10 (8) RIGHT TO TRANSPARENT LABELING.—A 11 farmer should be able to label their food accurately 12 and transparently—including strong country of ori- 13 gin labeling standards. 14 (9) RIGHT TO RURAL OPPORTUNITY.—Monopo- 15 lies have hollowed out local economies and taken 16 away the traditional pathways of opportunity for 17 free enterprise that helped communities thrive. No 18 farmer should have to choose between continuing to 19 operate their farm and getting access to good 20 schools and health care. No farmer should have to 21 choose between farming and providing a future for 22 their children. Farmers need the right to basic serv- 23 ices in rural communities. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:01 Feb 07, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HC88.IH HC88 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 8 •HCON 88 IH (10) RIGHT TO PRESERVE A DIVERSE COMMU- 1 NITY OF FARMERS AND FARMING PRACTICES.—For 2 too long, historically underserved farmers and ranch- 3 ers have lacked a voice on local and national agricul- 4 tural policies and development. Congress must en- 5 sure that historically underserved farmers and 6 ranchers have fair opportunities in the market, a 7 seat at the table in policy development, access to cul- 8 turally relevant training and technical assistance, 9 and equal treatment by all Federal agencies. 10 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:01 Feb 07, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HC88.IH HC88 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS