Farm Bureau Praises House Version of Farm Bill

WASHINGTON, D.C., July 27, 2001 – The American Farm Bureau Federation today praised the farm bill approved by the House Agriculture Committee and urged that the bill remain intact after a vote on the House floor.

The panel's 10-year, $73.5 billion farm bill proposal, drafted by Agriculture Committee Chairman Larry Combest (R-Texas) and ranking member Charlie Stenholm (D-Texas), was called "balanced and equitable" by AFBF President Bob Stallman.

"Dividing the $15 billion to $16 billion of new conservation funding between the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and a new conservation incentive program, which will include fruits and vegetables, and also livestock, was a wise move," the Farm Bureau leader said.

Farm Bureau had written to lawmakers saying $73.5 billion in new spending allocated for the farm bill was "insufficient to provide farmers a viable safety net," but given the committee's budget parameters, the balanced distribution of funds was commendable.

AFBF urged the agriculture committee to resist efforts to transfer funds from one of the seven farm bill "cornerstones" – program crops, other crops, conservation, trade, research, nutrition and rural development – to another section. Such a move would have upset the balance of the package.

"We expect attempted amendments and floor votes but this bill is in good shape coming out of committee and we would hope it remains intact, will be favorably voted upon by the full House and passed on to the Senate," Stallman said. "Senate action should begin as quickly as possible after the recess so we have a completed bill by the end of the year and farmers can begin operating under new farm programs."

Stallman complimented Combest and Stenholm for their "aggressive timetable," saying, "their ability to divide up the available funds and treat all of the various titles of the farm bill equitably was commendable."

"The Agriculture Committee's action represents progress in putting together and designing a farm program that will better serve the agricultural interests of America," Stallman said.

Contacts:

Don Lipton (202) 484-3624 donl@fb.org

Dave Lane (202) 484-3610 davel@fb.org

This page was last modified Fri Jul 27, 2001 at 03:16 pm