Washington, D.C. —
Today Senator John Thune made the following comments regarding the release of a letter signed by more than 40 leading agriculture organizations criticizing the latest House Farm Bill proposal:
"I applaud these groups for speaking up on behalf of the family farmers and ranchers they represent. The latest House Farm Bill proposal is flawed and would not be good for South Dakota.
"I cannot support the latest House Farm Bill proposal for the following reasons:
It takes away all mandatory funding for the permanent disaster program in the Senate-passed Farm bill;
It includes an ineffective crop revenue program that is based on national yields, which very likely will never benefit South Dakota;
It eliminates Direct Payments in the 9th year - 2016;
It negates my successful amendment in the Senate Agriculture Committee, which keeps the Loan Deficiency Payment safety net intact;
It cuts the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acreage cap without providing any additional tools, like making rental rates more competitive, to keep CRP a healthy and viable tool for farmers who wish to use it to exercise sound land stewardship.
"The Senate Farm Bill passed with an overwhelming bipartisan and veto-proof majority (79-14) and it should be the vehicle used as the basis for a Conference report that could be signed by the President. It is unacceptable for the House Democrats to delay this process any further by refusing to appoint conferees, and instead attempt to negotiate the Farm Bill without the U.S. Senate.
"The Senate has named its Farm Bill Conferees and has been ready to begin the Conference process for weeks now. It is time for the House to take responsibility for its inaction and inability to come up with a veto-proof Farm Bill and complete its work by coordinating with the Senate. The last thing we should do as we work to pass a Farm bill is undercut important provisions for South Dakota that were included in both the House and Senate passed."
Following are several excerpts from various agriculture groups against the latest House Farm Bill proposal:
The American Soybean Association (ASA) argues that the new version of the farm bill proposal announced yesterday is damaging for soybean and corn farmers as well as biodiesel producers. The organization's president, John Hoffman said, "Worse yet, the [House] plan makes changes to the loan deficiency payment program that dramatically weaken the income safety net and disadvantage soybean, corn and other feed grains, and wheat farmers compared to current law."
The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) today called on the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate to make the necessary improvements to the revenue program outlined in the House conference proposal. NCGA President Ron Litterer said, "[The House bill] simply fails to address the changes in our industry, the realities of today's marketplace, and the increasing levels of risk farmers are facing well into the future."
The National Farmers Union (NFU) was also disappointed, said the group's president, Tom Buis. "[The House] proposal's lack of a permanent disaster program ignores the single biggest hole in the safety net," Buis said in a statement released Thursday. "This must be restored. NFU strongly supports the efforts of Senators Max Baucus and Kent Conrad to ensure that a permanent disaster program is in place and adequately funded."
The letter sent to the Senate and House Agriculture Committee Chairmen and Ranking Members is pasted below.
February 14, 2008
The Honorable Tom Harkin
Chairman
Senate Committee on Agriculture,Nutrition and Forestry
328A Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable Saxby Chambliss
Ranking Member
Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry
328A Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable Collin Peterson
Chairman
House Committee on Agriculture
1301 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
The Honorable Bob Goodlatte
Ranking Member
House Committee on Agriculture
1301 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Chairmen and Ranking Members:
We appreciate the efforts of Chairman Peterson and Ranking Member Goodlatte to move
the farm bill process forward. Everyone is in agreement that initiating conference on the
farm bill as quickly as possible is important to American agriculture.
Upon review, the undersigned organizations believe the framework negotiated between
the House committee leadership and the administration is seriously under-funded. The
Commodity Title has already experienced a 60 percent decrease in baseline spending. To
strain the safety net for American agriculture with a further $6.5 billion cut is excessive.
While the administration is demanding that a bill be written with only $6 billion in
offsets, we believe that providing less than $12.5 billion in additional funding will require
the farmer safety net to bear the unfair burden of paying for increases in spending in other
areas of the bill.
It is easy for some to say that, in these times of good prices, the safety net for agriculture
can or should be weakened. However, we should learn from the past. Markets move.
During the life of the 1996 Farm Bill, generally good prices in 1995-1996 quickly turned
to poor prices in 1999 and beyond. Combined with the dramatic increases in farm input
prices already faced by agriculture producers today, a downturn in commodity costs
could prove disastrous for American agriculture. For this reason, it is imperative that
prices today not be used as a justification to erode the future safety net for agriculture.
Additionally, the administration is insisting on including policy provisions that were
considered and rejected by both the House and the Senate committees, and which are
disconcerting to production agriculture. Both of your committees worked diligently to
craft thoughtful and balanced legislation, and we strongly believe conference negotiations
should remain within the boundaries set by these two bills.
We look forward to working with you to continue to craft a conference report that meets
the needs of rural America.
Sincerely,
Alabama Peanut Producers Association
Amcot
American Agriculture Movement
American Beekeeping Federation
American Corn Growers Association
American Cotton Shippers Association
American Farm Bureau Federation
American Honey Producers Association
American Sheep Industry Association
American Soybean Association
American Sugar Alliance
Atlantic Cotton Association
Crop Insurance Professionals Association
Farm Credit Council
Florida Peanut Producers Association
Georgia Peanut Commission
National Association of Farmer Elected Committees
National Association of Wheat Growers
National Barley Growers Association
National Council of Farmer Cooperatives
National Cotton Council
National Farmers Organization
National Farmers Union
National Women Involved in Farm Economics
National Sorghum Producers
National Sunflower Association
North Carolina Peanut Growers Association
Northeast States Association for Agriculture Stewardship
Peanut Growers Cooperative Marketing Association
Ricebelt Warehouses
Southern Cotton Association
Southern Peanut Farmers Federation
Southwest Council of Agribusiness
Texas Cotton Association
United Dairymen of Arizona
US Canola Association
US Rice Producers Association
USA Dry Pea & Lentil Council
USA Rice Federation
Virginia Peanut Growers Association
Western Cotton Shippers Association
Western Peanut Growers
cc: Senate Conferees
House Agriculture Committee
"I applaud these groups for speaking up on behalf of the family farmers and ranchers they represent. The latest House Farm Bill proposal is flawed and would not be good for South Dakota.
"I cannot support the latest House Farm Bill proposal for the following reasons:
"The Senate Farm Bill passed with an overwhelming bipartisan and veto-proof majority (79-14) and it should be the vehicle used as the basis for a Conference report that could be signed by the President. It is unacceptable for the House Democrats to delay this process any further by refusing to appoint conferees, and instead attempt to negotiate the Farm Bill without the U.S. Senate.
"The Senate has named its Farm Bill Conferees and has been ready to begin the Conference process for weeks now. It is time for the House to take responsibility for its inaction and inability to come up with a veto-proof Farm Bill and complete its work by coordinating with the Senate. The last thing we should do as we work to pass a Farm bill is undercut important provisions for South Dakota that were included in both the House and Senate passed."
Following are several excerpts from various agriculture groups against the latest House Farm Bill proposal:
The American Soybean Association (ASA) argues that the new version of the farm bill proposal announced yesterday is damaging for soybean and corn farmers as well as biodiesel producers. The organization's president, John Hoffman said, "Worse yet, the [House] plan makes changes to the loan deficiency payment program that dramatically weaken the income safety net and disadvantage soybean, corn and other feed grains, and wheat farmers compared to current law."
The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) today called on the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate to make the necessary improvements to the revenue program outlined in the House conference proposal. NCGA President Ron Litterer said, "[The House bill] simply fails to address the changes in our industry, the realities of today's marketplace, and the increasing levels of risk farmers are facing well into the future."
The National Farmers Union (NFU) was also disappointed, said the group's president, Tom Buis. "[The House] proposal's lack of a permanent disaster program ignores the single biggest hole in the safety net," Buis said in a statement released Thursday. "This must be restored. NFU strongly supports the efforts of Senators Max Baucus and Kent Conrad to ensure that a permanent disaster program is in place and adequately funded."
The letter sent to the Senate and House Agriculture Committee Chairmen and Ranking Members is pasted below.
February 14, 2008
The Honorable Tom Harkin
Chairman
Senate Committee on Agriculture,Nutrition and Forestry
328A Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable Saxby Chambliss
Ranking Member
Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry
328A Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable Collin Peterson
Chairman
House Committee on Agriculture
1301 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
The Honorable Bob Goodlatte
Ranking Member
House Committee on Agriculture
1301 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Chairmen and Ranking Members:
We appreciate the efforts of Chairman Peterson and Ranking Member Goodlatte to move
the farm bill process forward. Everyone is in agreement that initiating conference on the
farm bill as quickly as possible is important to American agriculture.
Upon review, the undersigned organizations believe the framework negotiated between
the House committee leadership and the administration is seriously under-funded. The
Commodity Title has already experienced a 60 percent decrease in baseline spending. To
strain the safety net for American agriculture with a further $6.5 billion cut is excessive.
While the administration is demanding that a bill be written with only $6 billion in
offsets, we believe that providing less than $12.5 billion in additional funding will require
the farmer safety net to bear the unfair burden of paying for increases in spending in other
areas of the bill.
It is easy for some to say that, in these times of good prices, the safety net for agriculture
can or should be weakened. However, we should learn from the past. Markets move.
During the life of the 1996 Farm Bill, generally good prices in 1995-1996 quickly turned
to poor prices in 1999 and beyond. Combined with the dramatic increases in farm input
prices already faced by agriculture producers today, a downturn in commodity costs
could prove disastrous for American agriculture. For this reason, it is imperative that
prices today not be used as a justification to erode the future safety net for agriculture.
Additionally, the administration is insisting on including policy provisions that were
considered and rejected by both the House and the Senate committees, and which are
disconcerting to production agriculture. Both of your committees worked diligently to
craft thoughtful and balanced legislation, and we strongly believe conference negotiations
should remain within the boundaries set by these two bills.
We look forward to working with you to continue to craft a conference report that meets
the needs of rural America.
Sincerely,
Alabama Peanut Producers Association
Amcot
American Agriculture Movement
American Beekeeping Federation
American Corn Growers Association
American Cotton Shippers Association
American Farm Bureau Federation
American Honey Producers Association
American Sheep Industry Association
American Soybean Association
American Sugar Alliance
Atlantic Cotton Association
Crop Insurance Professionals Association
Farm Credit Council
Florida Peanut Producers Association
Georgia Peanut Commission
National Association of Farmer Elected Committees
National Association of Wheat Growers
National Barley Growers Association
National Council of Farmer Cooperatives
National Cotton Council
National Farmers Organization
National Farmers Union
National Women Involved in Farm Economics
National Sorghum Producers
National Sunflower Association
North Carolina Peanut Growers Association
Northeast States Association for Agriculture Stewardship
Peanut Growers Cooperative Marketing Association
Ricebelt Warehouses
Southern Cotton Association
Southern Peanut Farmers Federation
Southwest Council of Agribusiness
Texas Cotton Association
United Dairymen of Arizona
US Canola Association
US Rice Producers Association
USA Dry Pea & Lentil Council
USA Rice Federation
Virginia Peanut Growers Association
Western Cotton Shippers Association
Western Peanut Growers
cc: Senate Conferees
House Agriculture Committee