"I welcome Secretary Veneman to our great state," Daschle said. "We have an excellent opportunity to write new farm policies that benefit producers and rural communities and I look forward to working with the Secretary to achieve these goals."

"Farmers and ranchers must have an income safety net that can offset severe price fluctuations and manage uncertainties in the marketplace. That safety net primarily must be for the benefit of small and medium-sized family farmers. But in crafting such a safety net, we must not authorize payments that capitalize land rents, force consolidation or overproduction, or erode the economic foundation of rural communities," Johnson said. "The next farm bill must spur new domestic demand for agricultural commodities through an energy and bio-based products title. We must ensure that the markets producers compete in, both at home and abroad, are fair through the inclusion of a competition title."