(GORDONVILLE) In a farm shop overlooking a cornfield in Southeast Missouri, Jim Talent launched his Farm & Ranch Team, an important coalition of supporters who trust his leadership and want to send him back to the United States Senate. The event was held at the Lorberg Family Farm in Gordonville where John Lorberg, a third generation farmer, owns 900 acres of corn, soybeans, wheat and hay crops.
“I am grateful to all of the family farmers who are supporting my campaign,” said Senator Talent, who was recently endorsed by the Missouri Corn Growers Association and the Missouri Soybean Association. “As a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, I’ve appreciated the opportunity to listen to the concerns of Missouri producers and to address those concerns in Washington. Working together, I am proud of what we have accomplished, from establishing the nation’s first ever Renewable Fuels Standard for ethanol and biodiesel, to passing funding for new roads and bridges so our farmers can get their products to market. We have more work to do as we prepare to write a new Farm bill and I’d appreciate the opportunity to continue fighting for Missouri agriculture in the Senate.”
“I've worked with Jim Talent in his role on the Senate Agriculture Committee and he understands Missouri agriculture," said Congresswoman Jo Ann Emerson. “Senator Talent is a true leader on renewable fuels and everybody knows it, especially the corn growers and soybean producers who grow the products used to make ethanol and biodiesel. Jim Talent has put his feet in the soil and the pastures of Missouri and he has taken to heart the concerns of our farmers and ranchers and fought effectively for them in Washington. Whether it's opening new markets for our products, breaking down trade barriers or promoting ethanol and biodiesel so we can buy fuel by the bushel, not by the barrel, Jim Talent has fought effective for Missouri's family farmers.”
Producers at the Lorberg Farm praised Senator Talent for his leadership on renewable fuels, protecting Farm Service Agencies in Missouri, supporting a permanent repeal of the death tax, working to reduce health care costs for producers, expanding access to markets for our farmers, updating our locks and dams, increasing funding for roads and bridges to help farmers get products to market and working to resume U.S. beef exports to Japan.
Senator Talent was an architect of the Renewable Fuels Standard which requires the oil companies to add 7.5 billion gallons of ethanol and biodiesel to the nation’s fuel supply by 2012. Senator Talent’s legislation, which passed as part of the Energy bill, now law, is the nation’s first ever standard for corn-based ethanol and soy-based biodiesel. Senator Talent’s legislation was supported by the entire renewable fuels coalition and every Republican and Democrat Farm State Senator.
Members of Senator Talent’s Farm & Ranch Team include the Missouri Corn Growers Association and Missouri Soybean Association. Both farm organizations endorsed Senator Talent last week.
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