Senator Hassan Votes to Approve Bipartisan Farm Bill to Support New Hampshire’s Agricultural Industry, Invest in Rural Communities

WASHINGTON – As part of her efforts to help build a stronger, healthier New Hampshire, Senator Maggie Hassan today voted to approve the bipartisan Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018. The bipartisan bill provides critical support to New Hampshire’s agricultural industry over the next five years, including dairy farmers; while also investing in rural communities in the Granite State, helping to combat the devastating opioid crisis, supporting innovative small businesses, and working to ensure that no Granite Stater goes hungry.

“Agriculture has been central to our economy and culture since New Hampshire’s founding, and ensuring that our farmers have the support they need to thrive is critical to the strength of the industry and our entire state,” Senator Hassan said. “I am proud to vote for this bipartisan bill that makes important investments in our agricultural industry, while also supporting critical priorities for New Hampshire, including combating the opioid crisis through expanded telemedicine, improving access to rural broadband, and investing in rural infrastructure to ensure that all Granite Staters have access to safe drinking water.” 

For more information on the bill, visit HERE.

See below for critical New Hampshire priorities included in the bipartisan Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018:

• Improves risk management tools to help farmers safeguard their farms from unexpected losses such as those from natural disasters and weather events
• Invests $100 million more in the safety net program for dairy farmers in New Hampshire and across the country
• Provides $5 million per year for a new Milk Donation Program that will help farmers donate milk to food banks and charities.
• Expands access to broadband in rural communities by authorizing $150 million for a grant program to help bridge the urban-rural digital divide
  • Also authorizes $50 million per year for the USDA Community Connect Program, which provides broadband grants to rural communities across the country
• Helps combat the fentanyl, heroin, and opioid epidemic by expanding telemedicine and making investments in community facilities to provide treatment options
• Strengthens access to safe, quality drinking water by targeting infrastructure investments in rural communities
• Protects against cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
• Strengthens international organic enforcement tools to enable the National Organic Program to mitigate against fraudulent organic imports

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