WZZM (Grand Rapids): Sen. Gary Peters introduces bipartisan farm bill

Michigan Senator Gary Peters was in Ottawa County Friday morning introducing a new bill that would help small farms. Peters says the bipartisan bill would provide support for farms during periods of high demand.

"We need to make sure our farmers, especially our start-up farmers, have the resources they need so they can get a loan," the lawmaker, said at the Dream Winds Dairy Farm on Friday.

The bill that would help more farms utilize federal loans to help maintain or expand their business.

In 2016, more than 3,000 loans that were approved couldn't be funded for a while due to a funding shortfall. This new bill would increase the finances to try and prevent that from happening.

Currently there are 2,300 Michigan farms using $630 million in loans. That includes Dream Winds Dairy farm whose owner used the money to get new farm tech like cow milking robots.

"For us to continue our expansion process that I wanted to achieve it was very critical that we can find the needed capital and the best way I can find it was through the FSA loan," owner Paul Windemuller, said.

"If you create those financial opportunities for young farmers we're going to create more jobs, we're going to create more farms. We're going to have a resurgence of agriculture," Senator Peters added.

A resurgence Peters believes is critical for the future of this country.

"It's really the back bone of what American has been about," he said.