Both of Montana’s senators voted for the farm bill, a multibillion-dollar legislative package to fund agriculture and food aid programs, which the Senate passed Tuesday.
The mammoth package will fund key farm safety net programs for the next five years without making significant changes to the food stamp program that serves nearly 40 million low-income Americans.
Democratic Sen. Jon Tester released a statement, saying, in part, "We need the certainty of the farm bill, especially in this times of trade wars - when we see a prices going down."
Tester also applauded the bill’s increase of the maximum acreage of the Conservation Reserve Program.
Republican Sen. Steve Daines says he’s glad farmers will have more certainty in the future, but that he’s disappointed the final bill will not allow states and counties more say in the management of national forests.
The measure bears a price tag of $867 billion over 10 years.
