Source: POLITICO'S MORNING AGRICULTURE, 12/14/18

Under the farm bill compromise, U.S. farmers and ranchers will have access to USDA funding to promote agricultural trade with Cuba. A provision spearheaded by Heitkamp that was in the original Senate bill would allow USDA trade promotion programs to be used in the country.

Those programs pool money from USDA and the private agriculture sector to fund projects overseas that build demand for U.S. farm goods.

With the provision, "crop and livestock producers are one step closer to a stronger foothold in the Cuban market — which could lead to increased exports and Cuba's emergence as a reliable U.S. trade partner," Heitkamp said.

The provision sparked controversy in June, when Sen. Marco Rubio threatened to block amendments to the Senate farm bill, S. 3042 (115) , unless lawmakers voted to drop it or tweak the bill to specify that U.S. taxpayer dollars could not be paid to businesses owned by the Cuban government. Heitkamp ultimately agreed to make changes to the amendment language, and the provision made it into the final bill, H.R. 2 (115).

Reality check: U.S. law continues to prohibit U.S. sellers from offering financing and credit options to Cubans, making it difficult for Cubans to buy American farm goods.