President Signs Farm Bill Conrad, Conferees in White House Ceremony 05/13/02 Washington - President Bush today signed the new six-year farm bill into law at a White House ceremony with Senator Kent Conrad, one of the four chief Senate negotiators in the conference committee that produced the legislation, other members of the House and Senate, and representatives of national farm groups. Conrad released this statement: "The new farm bill is now the law of the land. It comes at a critical time for North Dakota and the nation. It will strengthen the farm economy at a time when commodity prices are extremely low, and the whole agricultural sector of the economy is vulnerable. "There was a good feeling at the White House today that we had accomplished something important for the country, for our family farmers, and for the rural communities that rely on agriculture. It's not a perfect bill, but it's a good bill. With times as hard as they are today, this bill will mean stronger, more certain support for our farmers." Conrad said he would urge the Agriculture Department to move forward in writing the regulations necessary to put the new programs in place. "In addition to strong support for commodities, this bill makes a tremendous investment in conservation, one that will benefit North Dakota farmers. The bill also invests considerable resources in rural development programs, to help the nation's small communities grow and prosper. "Some of these programs are new, or have been substantially changed in the bill. The sooner we put the regulations in place, the sooner we can implement new conservation and development programs across the country." Click here for a photo from the signing ceremony