Happy National Agriculture Week! This week, we recognize the great contributions of our nation’s farmers and agricultural workers who keep the world fed, fueled, and clothed. As the only Member from Wisconsin on the House Agriculture Committee in a decade, I’m committed to amplifying the voices of our farmers and agricultural producers and help set them up for success in sharing their products around the globe.

In honor of National Agriculture Week, I wanted to take a moment to update you on what I’ve been working on in Congress to best serve Wisconsin’s farmers and agricultural workers.

Legislative Work

I have introduced or cosponsored, including:

• The Dairy Business Innovation Act, which allocates additional funds per year to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Dairy Business Innovation (DBI) Initiatives to support dairy businesses in the development, production, marketing, and distribution of dairy products
• The DAIRY PRIDE Act to protect the dairy industry by preventing non-dairy products from using a dairy label and misaligning nutrient-scant products with nutritious dairy products produced by America’s farmers
• The FARM Act of 2023, which makes solar and wind electricity ineligible for certain renewable energy tax credits if the electricity was generated by public utility facilities that were placed on agricultural lands, taking farmland out of production
• The Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure (AFDIA) Act of 2024 so Congress can hold the USDA accountable in enforcing their policies for foreign ownership of U.S. agricultural and farm land

Protecting American Dairy Market Access

In December 2023, I led a letter with the Wisconsin delegation to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and the USDA after a U.S.-Mexico-Canada dispute settlement panel ruling granted Canada permission to continue limiting American dairy market access. Wisconsin is a leading dairy state, and this ruling negatively impacts our farmers, producers, and marketers who work to ensure nutritious dairy products are available at prices people can afford.

Agriculture Labor Working Group

In addition to serving on the House Agriculture Committee, I’m also a member of the bipartisan Agriculture Labor Working Group. This group works together to address workforce issues faced by the nation’s agricultural producers. We recently finished our final report, which offers recommendations to improve the H-2A process so America’s farmers can have the reliable workforce they need.

Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act

Wisconsin has over 1.2 million dairy cows across more than 6,000 farms that are run by hardworking farmers. I want to make sure the children around the nation have access to the great milk products produced by Wisconsin’s farmers, which is why I proudly cosponsored and helped secure the House passage of the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2023. This bill overturns the misguided federal decision to restrict milk options in schools and provide students with the freedom to choose the milk they prefer, whether flavored or unflavored whole, reduced-fat, low-fat, or fat-free milk. Watch my remarks on the House floor in support of the bill.