Klobuchar to roll out policy priorities for farmers in Iowa

Sen. Amy KlobucharAmy KlobucharHillicon Valley: Biden calls on Facebook to change political speech rules | Dems demand hearings after Georgia election chaos | Microsoft stops selling facial recognition tech to police Democrats demand Republican leaders examine election challenges after Georgia voting chaos Harris grapples with defund the police movement amid veep talk MORE (D-Minn.) will roll out a plan Saturday that would allow more farmers to seek financial relief through a special bankruptcy code for family farms amid falling commodity prices.

Klobuchar is scheduled to outline the proposal during a Saturday campaign swing through Iowa City.

ADVERTISEMENT

The proposal has several components. It would increase the number of farmers able to file for bankruptcy under Chapter 12, which helps family farms restructure their finances and avoid foreclosure, and calls for raising the current cap on farm loans.

It would also crack down on the Environmental Protection Agency’s issuance of Renewable Fuel Standard waivers that exempt some oil refineries from U.S. laws requiring them blend biofuels, like ethanol, into their fuel. Farmers argue that the waivers hurt their investment in ethanol production.

Click Here: New Zealand rugby store

More than half of Iowa’s corn crop is used for ethanol production, according to the Iowa Corn Growers Association.

Farm income has dropped in recent years after hitting a high point in 2013. At the same time, trade disputes have caused exports of crops like soybeans to drop, which has lead to a surplus that has dragged prices down.

Klobuchar’s agriculture agenda could help her gain momentum in Iowa, the site of the crucial first-in-the-nation presidential caucus and the second-highest agricultural producing state in the country after California.

Klobuchar is among a handful of Democratic presidential hopefuls banking on a strong performance in the Iowa caucuses next year to buoy her bid.

An Iowa Starting Line/Change Research poll released this week showed Klobuchar tied with former tech executive Andrew YangAndrew YangGeorge Floyd protests show corporations must support racial and economic equality Andrew Yang discusses his universal basic income pilot program Andrew Yang on the George Floyd protests in Minneapolis MORE for seventh place among likely Democratic caucus goers in the state with 2 percent support.