Tenn. Farmer Testifies at Farm Bill Hearing
Tennessee Farm Bureau "Accents on Agriculture" Transcript
February 8, 2006
By: Lee Maddox

A Franklin County farmer testifies before the House Ag Committee.

Thanks for being with us again everyone, Lee Maddox, with today's Accent on Agriculture.

Yesterday during a field hearing on federal farm policy in Auburn, Alabama Franklin County row crop and beef cattle producer Clinton Morris gave testimony to the House Ag Committee.

"Well, I think they were very attentive, you know, in listening to everybody. I know when the first group testified I was watching the Congressmen and stuff, and some of them were taking notes. I think they were very sincere in trying to work something out that would make the…help the American farmer."

Morris who farms on about 2,500 acres says the 2002 Farm Bill has sustained his operation and he's hopeful the 2007 Farm Bill will not have many changes.

"Well, I told'em, probably, as far as my family farm was concerned, if it hadn't been for the 2002 Farm Bill we probably wouldn't exist, because of our input costs and things that went so high and everything, and then our commodity prices are staying about the same."

Now, Morris was invited to testify at this hearing by Tennessee Congressman Lincoln Davis, who is a member of the House Ag Committee.

"When you see a seventy to eighty percent increase in fuel costs and fertilizer costs since 2002 it's just making it impossible for those who are farming to continue farming and, certainly, more difficult for younger individuals to be able to be brought into the farming operation to provide the food, fiber, protein, and hopefully, maybe, fuel that we may need in the future off the farm."

Now, Congressman Davis said one of the reoccurring themes during these field hearings was the increased cost of energy, and he hopes the new Farm Bill will address that issue.

"And maybe that's an area where we need to start looking in this Farm Bill or at least tap into that possibility of additional funding for crops that will be used for energy production."

Now, this Farm Bill field hearing was the second of many to come for the Ag Committee. The first was held Monday in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Have a safe day. Join us tomorrow on the TRN.