In the latest in a series of interviews, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack recently came out in favor of the Senate farm bill, but also comprehensive immigration reform.
To the farm community, the farm bill and the immigration bill are two of the most important pieces of legislation currently being considered by Congress. Long dependent on immigrant labor, comprehensive immigration reform could help farmers attract more farm workers and reduce costs. In addition, a new five-year farm bill will help them plan upcoming harvests and will let them know what kinds of federal support they can expect in coming seasons.
While Vilsack, due to his position in the Executive Branch, has been largely disconnected from the nitty-gritty legislative business of the farm bill, he nonetheless has been a tireless advocacy of new farm legislation.
The secretary’s latest remarks are another effort to unify agricultural concerns and increase the pressure on Congress to protect the interests of the farm sector, calling both the 2013 Farm Bill and the immigration bill “critically important to the long-term success of agriculture and of rural communities.”
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Written by: Justin Ellison / Farm Plus Staff Writer