Two Subcommittees Forward Farm Bill Recommendations to the House Agriculture Committee; More Markups Scheduled
News Date June 11, 2007
Last week, the House Agriculture Subcommittees on Horticulture and Organic Agriculture and on Specialty Crops, Rural Development, and Foreign Agriculture approved proposals for the farm bill titles under their jurisdictions. Congressman Dennis Cardoza (D-Calif.) is the chairman of the Horticulture and Organic Agriculture Subcommittee and Congressman Mike McIntyre (D-N.C.) is the chairman of the Specialty Crops, Rural Development, and Foreign Agriculture.
The subcommittees considered discussion drafts outlining proposals under each of their jurisdictions and approved several amendments by voice vote. Copies of the discussion drafts and the amendments approved by the subcommittees are available online at http://agriculture.house.gov/inside/2007FarmBill.html.
The discussion draft considered by the Subcommittee on Horticulture and Organic Agriculture expands the specialty crop block grant program; doubles the amount of USDA purchases of fruits and vegetables for use in school lunch and other feeding programs; extends the honey marketing loan program; funds USDA's cost-share program for organic producers seeking certification; expands the Farmers' Market Promotion Program; provides USDA authority to include good handling practices and other measures to ensure food safety in marketing orders for specialty crops; and establishes new tools and programs to address plant pests and diseases, among several provisions. It also restores to the USDA the responsibility for border inspection of imported agricultural products. The expansion of the specialty crop block grant program includes funding levels from CCC based on the contingency reserve: $20,000,000 in FY08; $25,000,000 in FY09; $30,000,000 in FY10; $35,000,000 in FY11; and $55,000,000 in FY12.
The Subcommittee on Specialty Crops, Rural Development, and Foreign Agriculture approved by voice vote discussion drafts outlining the Rural Development title as well as the peanut and sugar programs. Specialty crops under this subcommittee are defined as sugar, peanuts, and tobacco. The subcommittee discussion draft reauthorizes the peanut program, extending the direct payment, counter-cyclical payment, and marketing loan provisions contained in the 2002 farm bill. The draft increases the loan rate from $355 per ton to $375 per ton and lowers payment acres from 85 percent of base acres to 74 percent. The current sugar program would be extended until 2012, including the non-recourse loan program and the authority for marketing allotments. The draft requires that the Secretary of Agriculture continue to operate the program at no cost to the federal government by avoiding forfeitures of sugar.
This week a markup is scheduled for June 14 for the Subcommittee on Department Operations, Oversight, Nutrition, and Forestry with the next mark up scheduled June 19 for the Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management. The full committee will mark up the 2007 farm bill the week of June 25. (Contact: Jennifer Yezak)