LAWMAKERS LISTEN TO FARM BILL IMPLEMENTATION CONCERNS
News Date June 30, 2009
The House Agriculture Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management reviewed implementation concerns of the 2008 Farm Bill in two hearings held on June 24 and 25. Subcommittee Chairman Leonard Boswell (D-Iowa) said that the 2008 Farm Bill ensures a safety net for farmers nationwide, but realizes that there have been issues with implementation.
On June 24, the subcommittee heard testimony from representatives of the American Farm Bureau Federation, National Corn Growers Association, National Cotton Council, National Association of Wheat Growers and National Farmers Union. “If I can leave one message with you today, it would be that farmers need to know the rules,” Erik Younggren, National Association of Wheat Growers, said. “A safety net is not a safety net if farmers inadvertently disqualify themselves due to program complexities or lack of information.”
James Miller, USDA Under Secretary of Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services, testified on June 25. Miller said that “farm programs should be implemented in a way that Congress intended, protects taxpayer’s investments, and is equitable to America’s farmers and ranchers.” Topics discussed included rural American’s access to the internet, status of disaster assistance money and programs, and the Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) need to update its failing IT infrastructure. According to subcommittee members, it would cost over $450 million to bring the FSA’s outdated technology up to date where it “needs to be.” Miller admitted there were challenges facing the agency.
The subcommittee ranking member, Rep. Jerry Moran (R-KS), said we need “common sense” in agriculture especially with the new Average Crop Revenue Election (ACRE) program which offers an alternative to Direct and Counter-cyclical (DCP) payments. Further information about the ACRE program is on the FSA website at: www.fsa.usda.gov. Details and written statements from the hearing are available on the House Agriculture Committee website at: http://agriculture.house.gov. (Contact: David Hickey)