Washington - U.S. Sens. Dick Lugar and Evan Bayh today introduced the Farming Flexibility Act of 2007. This legislation would allow farmers more flexibility in choosing the crops they grow, save taxpayer money and preserve Hoosier jobs.

"Farmers are more profitable when they make their own planting decisions based on markets as opposed to government policy," Lugar said. "This is an important amendment to the 2002 Farm Bill that would provide farmers with the flexibility they need, specifically, in planting fruits and vegetables."

“The choice of what to plant belongs with farmers in Indiana, not bureaucrats in Washington,” Senator Bayh said. “By adding this amendment to the Farm Bill, Hoosier farmers will be able to plant the crops that make the most sense for the land and for the market, instead of relying on arbitrary policies that could reduce their productivity.”

In 2002, Congress passed a Farm Bill containing draconian restrictions on the planting of fruits and vegetables, measures that threaten the livelihood of many farmers and hard working Hoosiers that process these products.

The Farming Flexibility Act of 2007 would remedy these restrictions by allowing farmers to opt out of the federal farm program on a yearly basis to raise produce. Farmers would voluntarily forgo federal subsidies in favor of producing profitable fruits and vegetables. This bill not only would help save farmers and the jobs of workers in Indiana, but it also would save taxpayer dollars by reducing the amount of money the government directs to farmers as a means of supporting agriculture.

Lugar, a member and former Chairman of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee, has a long history of increasing production flexibility for Indiana's farmers while saving taxpayers money. He worked to pass the 1996 Freedom to Farm Act that phased out Depression era farm supports in favor of more market driven policies. In 2002, he introduced a farm bill that would have ended federal subsidization of specific crops while providing a strong safety net for all farmers, increasing conservation efforts, and improving federal nutrition programs designed to ensure all children receive proper nutrition.

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