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Wheat
Growers Pleased with Conference Committee Progress on Farm Bill
March
20, 2002
Agreement on Funding Clears Way for Progress, Passage
Washington, DC – March 20 - The National Association of Wheat
Growers (NAWG) expressed pleasure today with an announcement on funding
allocations from the conference committee on the farm bill. Members of the
joint conference committee announced an agreement on funding of the titles
on Tuesday, clearing the way for progress on the other components of the
bill. Conferees agreed to allocate a total of $46 billion to the commodity
title; $2.6 billion for dairy, sugar and peanuts; $17.1 billion for
conservation; $6.4 billion for nutrition; and $3.3 billion for the
remaining titles.
“This is great news for the nation’s farmers and rural communities,”
said NAWG President Gary Broyles, a farmer from Rapelje, Montana.
“Agreement on the funding was one of the biggest obstacles to concluding a
farm bill, and we’re pleased that they’ve chosen an allocation that
provides strong support to the core of federal farm policy.”
As the focus of the committee and staff shifts to filling in the blanks
within these budget parameters, NAWG continues to advocate its priorities
for the bill. These include:
- Maintaining the decoupled nature of support – in order to comply
with trade obligations, keep costs under control, provide a safety net
in times of crop loss, and to avoid policy influences on planting
decisions, NAWG advocates focusing the program on mechanisms not linked
to current production. This includes a preference for steady fixed
payments and countercyclical supports instead of high loan rates, which
require production to qualify and directly link support to production.
This concept also includes not updating program yields or acres and
maintaining planting flexibility. NAWG also supports testing FARRM
accounts in a pilot program, and supports payment limitations as
constructed in the House bill.
- Equity among commodities – removing from the program any biases that
influence planting decisions between crops.
- Conservation program – oppose expansion in the CRP, support for
fully funding existing conservation programs such as EQIP, and place a
priority on funding conservation on working lands.
- Trade programs – NAWG supports increased funding for Foreign Market
Development cooperator programs, the Market Access Program, meaningful
remedies in the 301 case against the Canadian Wheat Board, and
educational and outreach efforts dealing with the products of
biotechnology. NAWG also supports an effort to jump-start the market for
hard white wheat.
The NAWG Board of Directors was in Washington the previous week,
visiting its member delegations from some 20 states, and emphasizing the
need and urgency of passing the farm bill. NAWG representatives are back
in town this week making follow up visits with conferees and committee
staff.
“This is our paramount legislative priority,” concluded Broyles. “We
applaud and appreciate the hard work put in by Members and staff to get to
this point, and look forward to having a final bill enacted soon.”
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