Dear Friends: Thank you, as always, for reading the Lugar Letter. This month’s newsletter comes as the Senate begins to debate the Farm Bill and the opportunity for reform. It is essential to recognize that U.S. agriculture policy has impacts far beyond the farm and establishes priorities for nutrition, food stamps, rural development, energy, and conservation. Yet our current farm policies, sold to the American public as a safety-net, actually hurt the family farmer, violate world trading rules and cost taxpayers billions of dollars. For all of these reasons, Senator Frank Lautenberg and I, along with a number of bi-partisan co-sponsors, plan to introduce an amendment during consideration of the Farm Bill that would provide a true safety-net for all farmers, regardless of what they grow or where they live. For the first time, each farmer would receive – at no cost to the farmer – either expanded county-based crop insurance policies that would cover 85 percent of expected crop revenue or yield, or 80 percent of a farm’s five year average adjusted gross revenue. These subsidized insurance tools already exist, but our reforms would make them more effective and universally used, while controlling administrative costs. Farmers would also be able to purchase insurance to cover the remainder of their revenue and yields. This proposal is important because savings from these reforms would allow us to provide billions in new investments to assist farmers with conservation practices, develop renewable energy, expand access to healthy foods for children and consumers, and assist more hungry Americans. At the same time, it would save taxpayers $3 billion. Agriculture policy is too important for rural America and the economic and budgetary health of our country to continue the current misguided path. This week’s Farm Bill debate is a good time to begin changing these dynamics. I hope you will join me in supporting reform. Sincerely,
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