Tester Helps Veterans From the Battlefield to Wheat Field

During a Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee hearing today, Tester heard testimony from Paul Kanning, a farmer from Flaxville, Montana.

Tester invited Kanning, an Air Force combat veteran, who used the Farm Bill’s Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Initiative and the Veteran Farmers and Ranchers Program to transition from being an active duty officer to a Montana farmer.

“In Montana, agriculture is our state’s number one industry. Couple that with the fact we have one of the highest rates of veterans per capita, it just makes sense to get more veterans involved in family farm agriculture,” Tester said.  “This is about jobs, the economy, and honoring our commitment to those who have served.”

In 2014, Tester helped pass the Farm Bill, which included specific resources to help military veteran farmers through loan assistance, crop insurance, conservation incentives, and training.