WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) today released the following statement regarding the Senate Finance Committee’s ongoing work, and in anticipation of U.S. House passage of tax reform:

“I am determined to pass strong tax reform legislation to help American families keep more of their money, grow our economy and create jobs. Though I continue to support repealing the ACA’s individual mandate, I would have preferred not to add any dimension of healthcare to the tax reform debate, given that this will lessen the chances of having a bipartisan bill, making it less likely to last through future Congresses. My goal is to get a tax reform bill through the House and the Senate and deliver the reform the American people rightfully expect from us. This is a unique opportunity to increase freedom and liberty and promote the American Dream."

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) authored an open letter – first published in Agri-Pulse – to agricultural organizations regarding the threat of NAFTA withdrawal and urged them to advocate for sound trade policy. With low commodity prices and declining farm revenues, the rural economy cannot afford to lose out on export markets.

The timing of Sen. Moran’s call to action coincides with a letter 168 agriculture groups sent today to all 50 governors regarding the “importance of NAFTA to the U.S. food and agriculture industry and to express concern about the potential of a withdrawal from this critical trade agreement.”

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November 14, 2017

An Open Letter to U.S. Farmer and Rancher Organizations:

While tax reform dominates the discussion in Washington, D.C., U.S. agriculture must not allow its focus to be diverted from the equally important issue of agricultural trade. Reforming our nation’s tax code is critical to growing the economy and can benefit all Americans. However, there will be little to no benefit of tax reform to farmers and ranchers if their ability to sell what they produce around the world is diminished.

Coming from Kansas, the economic case for pro-agricultural trade policies is clear: my state exported more than $4.5 billion worth of agricultural products in 2016, generating more than $5.7 billion in economic activity and supporting more than 36,000 jobs. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), more than 20 percent of total U.S. agricultural products are exported. In Kansas, approximately 40 to 45 percent of planted acres any given year will utilize export markets.

There are real Kansans behind these numbers who often get lost in the conversation: farmers and ranchers who hope to see the family operation stay in the hands of their kids and grandkids; teenagers and college students who want to return to the farm or ranch. The ability of a new generation of young producers to make a living in agriculture is impacted far more by the wheat, corn, cotton, and beef being exported each year than by any single tax deduction. And tax rates are irrelevant to the farmer or rancher who loses half of their income due to lost export markets.

President Trump has been consistent in his criticism of trade deals, especially NAFTA, and every indication coming from the administration points toward outright withdrawal from the agreement. Terminating a major trade deal would be unprecedented, which may make the threat hard for some to take seriously. But I am convinced our country is headed down a path toward withdrawal from NAFTA unless action is taken by agricultural groups to change the administration’s course.

This letter is not intended as criticism of farm and ranch organizations. In conversations with agricultural groups and individual producers, I am impressed with the knowledge and conviction exhibited in defense of agricultural trade. I have heard the deep concern for the economic harm that will be done to rural America if key export markets, such as Mexico and Canada, are closed or restricted to agricultural producers.

I write this letter to encourage all of us to do more. To urge agricultural and commodity groups to raise their concerns with the President and his administration through op-eds, letters, social media campaigns, and other venues about the importance of trade. The voices of lawmakers raising alarm will only go so far – the real power to change the conversation lies with the American people.

Tax reform is critical to our nation. But we can’t afford to let the debate over taxes take our attention away from simultaneously protecting the ability of farmers and ranchers to continue to export food and fiber across the globe. The news that the Trans-Pacific Partnership will move forward without U.S. involvement heightens the consequences of NAFTA withdrawal. With the leadership of agricultural organizations, we can help rally farmers and ranchers to speak up about the importance of trade to the future of a livelihood in agriculture. Tough negotiations on improvements – yes; withdrawal from NAFTA – no. 

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From left to right: Justin Knopf, Vice President, Kansas Association of Wheat Growers, U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and Jason Tatge, Co-Founder and CEO of Farmobile. 

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) – Chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science and Technology Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, Insurance, and Data Security – yesterday questioned a panel of witnesses about potential benefits of advancements in agricultural technology and the collection and utilization of data in farming. The hearing included testimony from Kansas Association of Wheat Growers Vice President Justin Knopf and Farmobile Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer Jason Tatge, both from Kansas.

“As our technological capabilities expand, we see more opportunities for the agricultural community to adopt tools such as field sensors, drones, satellite imagery, advanced machinery and many other similar pieces of technology as they work to increase crop yields and improve sustainable practices,” said Chairman Moran. “Not only can this technology make farming and ranching more efficient and successful, it has the potential to generate revenue for our ag community. For example, during today’s hearing, panelists agreed that the sale of ‘tradeable’ Electronic Field Records could return $1 billion in revenue to rural agricultural communities. There is great potential to these practices, and I appreciate the willingness of Kansans Justin Knopf and Jason Tatge to share their perspectives with our committee today as we work to make certain our farmers and ranchers can benefit from the increasing volume of quality data.”

Additional witnesses included Mr. Todd J. Janzen, President, Janzen Agricultural Law, LLC, who grew up in south Central Kansas; Dr. Shannon Ferrell, Associate Professor, Oklahoma State University; and Dr. Dorota Haman, Professor and Chair, Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, University of Florida.

Click here for more information about yesterday’s hearing. Chairman Moran’s opening statement can be found below.

The agricultural community’s adoption of field sensors, drones, satellite imagery, advanced machinery and similar technology is increasing at an incredible pace. Our Commerce committee and this subcommittee has been paying a lot of attention to those issues, and the result of that increasing pace is greater crop yields and improved sustainable practices in farming. The most profitable farms are often the most sustainable ones. This rapidly evolving technology will have a vital role in preserving farmers’ most important asset, their land, with the potential to increase farmers’ margins to unprecedented levels.

The collection and analysis of data has enabled farmers to reduce costs through more efficient applications of inputs like fertilizers and pesticides; improve production decisions through enhanced recordkeeping and more accurate yield predictions; and enhance land stewardship and sustainable practices by removing inefficiencies in planting, harvesting, water use and the allocation of other resources. With an increasing volume of quality data, in tandem with improved data analysis, data-collection technology has the potential to drastically increase farm productivity and profitability.

The collection and use of such data raises issues regarding control of the data, transparency of agreements between farmers and data firms and barriers to expanding internet access to rural America.

Additionally, as data collection and sharing practices become more popular across the ag economy, farmers are well-positioned to benefit from the “commoditization” of data collected from their land, especially as equipment manufacturers, service providers, cooperatives and other businesses seek access to that data.

The goal for this hearing is to educate and empower our nation’s farmers to understand the value of the information they are creating, and certainly to allow members of Congress to have a better understanding of the current lay of the land and what the future holds.

It is my pleasure to introduce the panel today, and I thank you all for being here.

Justin Knopf is a farmer from Gypsum, Kansas – right in the middle of our state – he grows wheat, alfalfa, soybeans, grain sorghum, corn and multi-species of cover crops. As part of his sustainability-focused farming operations, he practices what is commonly referred to as “no-till” farming and utilizes a variety of technologies that assist his monitoring efforts to be good stewards of the land while improving his yield.

Jason Tatge is the Co-Founder and CEO of Farmobile, a technology firm based in Overland Park, Kansas – that’s a suburb of Kansas City. His company’s services provide farmers with real-time access to ownership of current and historical data pertaining to their land. By providing a user-friendly, simplified and comprehensive overview of relevant data, Farmobile’s customers are able to make educated decisions in a much more timely fashion.

Dr. Shannon Ferrell is an Associate Professor at Oklahoma State in the Department of Agricultural Economics. He also serves as an agricultural industry representative to the Oklahoma Environmental Quality Board, which oversees operations of the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality, and the Senator from Oklahoma will have an opportunity to introduce Dr. Ferrell shortly.

Todd Janzen is President of Janzen Agricultural Law, LLC and the Administrator of the Ag Data Transparency project. This project makes available the Ag Data Transparency Evaluator, which aims to provide clarity to consumers as to what businesses do with the data that is shared with them all.

And finally, Dr. Dorota Haman is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering at the University of Florida. She specializes in irrigation water management and efficiencies, and has been an active leader in providing irrigation technologies in developing countries in the Americas and Africa.

I look forward to hearing the testimony of these expert witnesses.

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) today issued the following statement applauding the Senate Judiciary Committee’s bipartisan vote of 19-1 in favor of the nomination of Kansan Holly Teeter, whom the President has nominated as a federal judge for the United States District Court for the District of Kansas:

“I’m pleased that my Senate Judiciary Committee colleagues voted overwhelmingly today to move Ms. Teeter’s nomination forward so that she can be considered by the full Senate,” said Sen. Moran. “Her extensive qualifications, exemplary temperament and years of experience make her highly qualified to serve Kansans in this role as a federal judge. I look forward to voting to confirm her to this position, which has been vacant for the last three years, where I am confident she will be a dedicated servant of the law.”

Sen. Moran attended this morning’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing to show his support for Ms. Teeter. He also introduced Ms. Teeter to the Senate Judiciary Committee last month as the Committee began consideration of her nomination. Ms. Teeter comes highly recommended by her peers and colleagues.

“Holly Teeter is exceptionally well qualified to serve as a United States District Judge,” said The Honorable Deanell Tacha (Ret.), formerly of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. “She has had 11 years of very significant legal experience, and, in particular, has served with distinction as a federal law clerk to Judge Murguia. She brings to the bench outstanding analytical, writing, and interpersonal skills. She is known for her dedicated work ethic and ability to bring to complex legal issues both probing legal analysis and a keen sense of the impact of decisions on the people and institutions that her work impacts. She will be a dedicated and thoughtful public servant who will serve the courts and the nation with her characteristic commitment to excellence in all she does.”

“In addition to her legal ability, Holly has consistently demonstrated a temperament appropriate for the federal bench,” said The Honorable Carlos Murguia, United States District Judge, whom she has clerked for. “She is patient, calm, objective, courteous, confident, firm, articulate, humble, sophisticated, and punctual…. Holly is a very skilled attorney who displays an appropriate judicial temperament and would bring many unique perspectives and skills to our bench. She is a committed public servant, who after clerking, chose a career in the public sector rather than return to the financial benefits of the private sector.”

The U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas is a federal trial court that processes civil and criminal cases that come under federal jurisdiction. The District of Kansas covers the full state of Kansas.

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