Press Releases
April 3, 2007
Support for Farm Bill Strong, Conrad Says
Senator Chairs Field Hearing of Senate Agriculture Committee
Fargo -- Senator Kent Conrad chaired a special field hearing of the Senate Agriculture Committee today in Fargo, drawing Congressman Earl Pomeroy and both U.S. senators from Minnesota to hear testimony on the next farm bill.
"Agriculture is the engine that drives North Dakota's economy, which is why we brought this special meeting of the Agriculture Committee to the state," Senator Conrad said. "Fewer pieces of legislation as are important to North Dakota as the Farm Bill. And right now we are faced by both great hurdles as well as enormous opportunity in farming."
Senator Conrad brought the Senate Agriculture Committee to Fargo as the culmination of an outreach effort that has spanned most of North Dakota. As both Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee and a senior member of the Agriculture Committee, Senator Conrad is in a unique position to influence the next Farm Bill. Congress is expected to begin debating reauthorization of the Farm Bill later this spring.
Senator Conrad outlined several issues, including:
-- The Administration's deficit spending and record debt growth pressures Congress to reduce spending on domestic priorities, including the Farm Bill. However, Senator Conrad noted that farm spending amounts to one half of one percent of the federal budget for Fiscal Year 2007. -- The White House is opposed to a strong farm bill, preferring to eliminate domestic support for farming through the pursuit of a World Trade Organization deal and it's own, weaker farm proposal. -- Unfair trade advantages by competitors in Europe, Brazil and China are cutting into the U.S. share of the global market. The European Union outspends the U.S. 5-to-1 in farm program support, while Brazil and China use currency manipulation to control their market access.
"Obviously, there is much work for us to do, but I am also optimistic that we can do great things for North Dakota in the next farm bill," Senator Conrad said. "We can strengthen our commodity program, create a permanent disaster title, and increase our domestic energy supply through farming in this Farm Bill."
Senator Conrad was a chief architect of the current farm bill, which passed Congress in 2002.
