Montana Senator Jon Tester is trying to use his Montana farming expertise to get more Americans to switch to organic farming. On Wednesday the Big Sandy farmer outlined his newest legislation which provides assistance to producers who want to start farming *without* any fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides.
Sen. Tester says making the transition to organic farming ultimately saves producers time and money.
"Organic agriculture is the fastest growing sector of agriculture today, and if we want to increase prices at the farm gate, this is one of the ways to do it. And it will help Montana producers meet the needs of the organic sector for those who chose to use it."
The Democrat says he stopped using chemicals nearly 20 years ago because they were making his wife sick. However switching to organic framing isn't a quick process and usually takes years, resulting in a temporary decline in crop yields and production.
If the legislation passes then Sen. Tester's bill would provide up to four $20,000 annual payments to producers whose land is newly certified as organic.
Senator Proposes Bill to Fund Farmers Transitioning to Organic
-
Senator Tester Pushes Organic Farming
Montana News Station, 9/6/2007
Straight to the Source