2007 Farm Bill
On Thursday, October 25, the Senate Agriculture Committee passed the 2007 farm bill. Senator Dorgan supports the committee-passed bill because it will provide family farmers with the support they need to produce food, fuel, and fiber for America and the global marketplace.
The basic structure of the safety net that has worked well for family farmers will be reauthorized, and a new program that provides support based on revenue will be available on an optional basis. Many of the crops North Dakota produces, including wheat, soybeans, and oilseeds, will benefit from updated target prices and loan rates that adjust to changes in the marketplace since passage of the '02 bill. Inclusion of a permanent program to address unexpected disasters will be a real boon to North Dakota farmers and ranchers who have been subject to an unpredictable ad hoc approach in recent years.
Livestock producers will benefit from provisions of this bill that strengthen the oversight powers and responsibility of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and ensure they receive a fair price for their efforts. The inclusion of Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) provisions will allow consumers to have a clear choice when buying their food and will give our domestic producers a competitive edge in the marketplace.
The bill also makes improvements to conservation programs that help protect our land and natural resources. The Senate bill will create a new Conservation Stewardship Incentives Program by closely coordinating the Conservation Security Program (CSP) and the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). This will simplify participation and administration of these programs and allow more acres to be enrolled.
The committee-passed farm bill will update and enhance our nutrition programs to help get food to those in need. Structural reforms that account for inflation will restore benefits that have slowly eroded over the past decades and make sure that no Americans go hungry - especially children, seniors, and the disabled.
This farm bill also makes investments to enhance the role of agriculture in the production of energy. Grants and loans will be available to expand the infrastructure needed to deliver ethanol more effectively and funds are provided to speed the realization of the full potential of cellulosic ethanol.
While Senator Dorgan is pleased with the committee's farm bill on the whole, one topic that needs more scrutiny is the current practice of providing subsides to the largest agrifactories and those who are not actively engaged in farming. By limiting the amount of subsidies that any one operation can receive and ending payments to individuals who do not farm, Senator Dorgan plans to better target support to those who need it most and protect the system that family farmers truly depend upon to weather the inherent ups and downs of agricultural production.
