WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representative Mike Ross (AR-04) Wednesday commended his colleagues in the House of Representatives for joining him to help pass the 2008 Farm Bill, which he called a necessary step to maintaining a critical safety-net for Arkansas farmers. 

Ross was presiding over the House as Speaker pro tempore during the vote for final passage of the 2008 Farm Bill, which passed by a vote of 318-106.

“I was proud to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle in the U.S. House and Senate to craft and pass a Farm Bill that will benefit Arkansas farmers,” Ross said. “We as a nation have a responsibility to make certain that our farmers and the agriculture community have a sound farm policy that ensures a reliable safety-net to provide a level of stability in a volatile market.”

Ross, who was instrumental in helping craft and pass the 2002 Farm Bill, fought hard in Congress to maintain the same basic structure of the 2002 legislation. Specifically, he pointed to the safety-net it provides farm families within the commodity title through direct payments, counter-cyclical payments and marketing loans.

“This Farm Bill guarantees that Arkansas’s farmers and farm families are equipped with the tools and resources necessary to help them continue to provide our nation with a safe and secure source of food and fiber, and help them meet the energy needs of the 21st Century,” Ross said.

Ross strongly supported the inclusion of $1 billion in the Farm Bill that would expand renewable fuel production to encourage American energy independence.

“This Farm Bill will not only benefit our farmers but every American who is paying the price for our failed energy policies at the pump,” Ross said. “By investing in alternative sources of energy such as biodiesel and cellulosic ethanol, this Farm Bill will help to place our country on a path toward energy independence and also help to reduce the surging cost of feed.”     

Ross also fought hard to include a responsible disaster assistance program in the Farm Bill. This much-needed program is intended to provide relief for farmers whose crops are stricken by severe natural disasters such as drought and floods. The bill program also ensures that farm-raised fish are also eligible for disaster assistance.

In addition, Ross pointed out other key provisions in the Farm Bill that would boost funding by $7.9 billion for conservation programs which take environmentally sensitive land out of farming and encourage environmentally friendly practices on working farmland. Furthermore, the legislation includes $10.4 billion for nutrition programs that will help 38 million American families better afford healthy food. Ross also said the bill seeks to reach out to segments of agriculture that have been underserved, including specialty crop producers and beginning and minority farmers and ranchers.

In January, Ross hosted House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson (MN-07) for a town hall meeting in Pine Bluff to provide Arkansas farmers with an update on the status of the negotiations between the House of Representatives and the Senate on the Farm Bill, and to give Arkansas farmers an opportunity to continue to offer their feedback and concerns.

Upon passage of the 2008 Farm Bill Conference Report by the Senate, the final measure will then be sent to the President, who has threatened to veto the bill. Ross called this move a severe mistake.

“I urge the President to abandon his veto threat and recognize the importance of this worthwhile policy to both our economic and domestic security,” Ross said. “Our farmers deserve assurances from their government that we will stand beside them in times when market conditions are both favorable and unfavorable.”

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