Congressman
CHARLIE STENHOLM
17th District of Texas

AG TALK
By Charlie Stenholm
June 14, 2002

2002 County Loan Rates

The USDA recently announced county loan rates for 2002 crops as required by the new Farm Bill.

Because the new Farm Bill restructured national loan rates, changes were required in county loan rates. 

The new county loan rate structure, which provides upward changes in most areas, reflects the most comprehensive adjustments in more than 15 years.

Some of the existing county loan rates go back to 1985 and no longer reflect the geographic pattern of market prices. 

It is expected that the changes will help to decrease the disparities in loan deficiency payments and the market distortions that have occurred in the past.

The USDA’s announcement included National Loan Rates by class for the 2002 wheat crops, and county loan rates that will be updated to reflect recent market price relationships among counties.

There will be separate oilseed rates for each commodity based on the five-year average market price of each specific oilseed from 1991 through 1995.

The new law eliminates the sesame loan program and no longer designates it as an eligible oilseed. 

However, the 2002 Farm Bill mandated new loan programs for both peanuts and pulse crops (such as dry peas, lentils, and chickpeas).

For more information on new county loan rates, you may want to contact your local FSA office.   

Conservation Provisions of the Farm Bill

The 2002 Farm Bill invests nearly $13 billion in conservation spending on America’s private lands over the next six years and builds upon the gains made by past conservation efforts.

Under this bill, conservation spending increased by 80 percent and responds to a broad range of emerging natural resource challenges facing farmers and ranchers, including soil erosion, farmland protection, and measures to enhance wildlife habitat. 

Farmers and ranchers will benefit from a variety of assistance, including cost share, rental, incentive payments and technical assistance. 

In addition, the Farm Bill ensures greater access to these programs by making more farmers and ranchers eligible to participate.

The Farm Bill provides the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) with the resources needed to streamline the program, providing technical and financial assistance to eligible producers to address soil, water and related natural resources concerns.

It offers cost-share payments to implement eligible conservation practices, and incentive payments to implement land management practices.

The Farm Bill continues and expands the popular Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), that provides technical and financial assistance to reduce soil erosion, improve water quality, and establish wildlife habitat.  

Under the new law, the overall acreage caps for the CRP are expanded from 36.4 to 39.2 million acres. 

The Farm Bill also created a new program, the Conservation Security Program, designed to financially recognize ongoing stewardship efforts and to help producers address additional resource concerns on agricultural working lands.   This program will run from 2003 through 2007. 

Also included in the Farm Bill are new initiatives that address challenges in water quality and quantity. 

A new ground and surface water conservation initiative will help farmers improve irrigation, grow less water-intensive crops or convert to dryland farming.

In addition, a new grassroots source-water protection initiative will provide for wellhead and groundwater protection by working with state programs. 

USDA Purchases $8 Million of Lamb Roasts

Plans to purchase up to $8 million of lamb roasts for distribution in federal food and nutrition programs were announced this past week by the USDA.

The lamb roasts must be produced from domestic lamb and are used through the lamb roast purchase program to provide healthy and nutritious products for families participating in USDA’s food and nutrition programs. 

The lamb roast purchase program is designed to benefit low-income consumers and is part of the $42.7 million Domestic Lamb Industry Adjustment Assistance Program announced last September. 

The $8 million was approved to continue the program through the end of 2003.  Again, the frozen lamb roasts must be produced from domestic lamb. 

Researchers Develop “Naked” Chickens

Here’s a new one.  Researchers at the Hebrew University in Israel have crossbred a small, bare-skinned chicken with a regular broiler.

The result is a red-skinned, featherless chicken that doesn’t require as much time to process as a chicken with feathers. 

It is believed that such chickens would be well-suited to poultry production in countries with very hot climates.

Folks, I have seen pictures of this chicken, and it is not a pretty sight! 

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