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When I was traveling across the state of Nebraska recently, I was reminded of a quote from President Eisenhower. He once said, “Farming looks mighty easy when your plow is a pencil and you’re a thousand miles from the corn field.”

I truly believe that when Nebraska values are brought to Washington, our state and our country as a whole benefit. That’s why I’ve made it a priority to bring key federal leaders to our state so they can hear directly from Nebraskans about how regulations and policy impact their lives and their livelihoods.

During the past five years as your U.S. Senator, I have had the opportunity to host numerous administration officials in Nebraska. Two U.S. Secretaries of Transportation, Commissioners of the Federal Communications Commission, and Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue are a few of the examples of federal officials who have come to Nebraska at my invitation. I’ve also held four Senate committee field hearings in Nebraska. The goal of each of these visits has been to hear from Nebraska families, communities, and businesses about the issues affecting them directly.

On May 4, 2018, I was honored to welcome Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts to Nebraska. In Grand Island, we hosted a roundtable discussion on trade and the upcoming farm bill, where Chairman Roberts was able to visit with Nebraska agriculture producers. Our discussions included important topics such as trade, safeguarding crop insurance along with a strong safety net, as well as the necessity of broadband deployment across rural Nebraska to ensure that our agriculture producers can maximize their competitiveness.

Later that day, we toured the AGP Soybean Processing plant in Hastings. I was delighted for him to see firsthand the world-class exports that are produced here in Nebraska.

During Chairman Roberts’ visit, Nebraskans described the anxiety and uncertainty folks in farm country are feeling right now. I’ve been visiting frequently with President Trump on a number of agriculture issues, including NAFTA, potential Chinese tariffs, and upholding the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). In meetings at the White House and in phone conversations as recent as last week, I have provided the president with factual information about our state’s Ag exports and the central role agriculture plays in Nebraska’s economy. Moreover, I have conveyed to the president how critical it is that we work together to protect markets for our producers.

When rural areas have certainty in planning for the future, all of Nebraska prospers. To that end, President Trump recently expressed a desire to move forward with the sale of E15 ethanol year-round. This is something I have long called for – I’ve even introduced bipartisan legislation that would allow this to happen through a Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) waiver. Following the president’s remarks of support, I was proud to lead a bipartisan letter asking EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt to provide an expected timeline for that needed RVP waiver. Additionally, we requested that the agency allow for the sale of E15 during the upcoming summer driving season.

Working together with Nebraskans, we’ve been able to accomplish a lot of good things for our state, especially when it comes to rolling back burdensome regulations our Ag producers face. For example, we eliminated reporting requirements for animal waste emissions, ensuring that farmers and ranchers are no longer regulated like toxic superfund sites. As we continue to work on our next farm bill in the Senate Agriculture Committee, I’m hopeful we can provide additional regulatory relief for production agriculture by culling duplicative pesticide regulations and going even further to address regulations for on-farm fuel storage tanks.

For Nebraskans, agriculture is more than just a business, it is a way of life. I am committed to working with Chairman Roberts to fight for policies that will help provide a more stable and dependable future that our Ag producers, their families, and our state deserve.

Thank you for participating in the democratic process. I look forward to visiting with you again next week.