U.S. farm programs were recently being attacked by big-city editorial boards and farm policy critics for keeping commodity prices too low and, thus, harming developing countries. Now, with many agricultural commodity prices on an upswing, these same groups are complaining that prices are too high and, thus, harming developing countries. Oxfam—the group that dropped $225,000…
Washington (Dec. 19, 2007)—Organizations representing most farmers in America sent a letter today to key legislators asking them to “complete a conference report to the Farm Bill by no later than late January or early February.” “Based upon the exceptional work of both the House and the Senate, we are confident that a strong new…
In early January, thousands of farmers and ranchers from Hawaii, California, North Dakota, the Carolinas, and everywhere in between boarded planes, trains and buses to make the trip to the American Farm Bureau Federation Annual Meeting in New Orleans. The state’s agricultural community gladly welcomed our colleagues, who produce just about everything everyday citizens put…
Washington (Dec. 14, 2007)—Farmers and ranchers today applauded as the Senate passed the 2007 farm bill by a bipartisan vote of 79 to 14. The final package did not include the harmful amendments designed to gut the farm safety net, cripple farmers’ crop insurance, and slash farm benefits. “Wheat growers have been waiting for this…
Washington (Dec. 12, 2007)—Groups representing farmers from coast to coast sent a letter to every Senator this morning asking them to “protect what it has taken 25 years to build” and to vote against the crop insurance amendment proposed by Senators Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), John Sununu (R- N.H.) and Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.). “The Senate Agriculture…
WASHINGTON (Dec. 12, 2007)—Farmers and ranchers applauded as the Senate soundly defeated a farm bill amendment by Senators Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) and Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) to gut the farm safety net. The amendment, which fell on a 58 to 37 vote, was almost identical to a similar amendment offered by Reps. Ron Kind (D-Wis.) and…
WASHINGTON (Dec. 11, 2007)—Former House Agriculture Committee Chairman Larry Combest urged Senators to finish their work on the farm bill before adjourning for the year and not let amendments bog down the process in a speech delivered today to the Farm Journal Forum. “For all of the Senators who say that they care about the…
Excerpt from a Dec. 11 Statement on the Senate Floor The critics say only 43 percent of all farms received payments. The critics say that 57 percent of farms unfairly operate without a safety net. The critics say the largest 8 percent of all farms receive 58 percent of the farm program benefits. <[Such statements]…
We were wrong: Not all big-city newspapers oppose the farm bill. In a stunning about-face, the editorial board at The Boston Globe urged lawmakers this week to quickly pass the stalled farm bill because of its vital nutrition programs. “Congress should pass the Farm Bill,” the newspaper wrote. “The House has passed a version, but…
Excerpt from Dec. 3 Speech by Larry Combest to USA Rice Federation Now, I suppose it is possible, and perhaps it is even probable, that short term extensions of current law may continue to take place until the full five year Farm Bill is completed. This would certainly provide farm families with at least some…
Washington (Nov. 28, 2007)—Nineteen agricultural groups wrote to the Democratic and Republican leaders of the Senate today to ask that they complete work on the pending farm bill rather than extending current farm policy. “Extending current law could also result in a substantial reduction in the funding available for writing the next farm bill,” the…
Washington (Nov. 28, 2007)—Groups representing most Louisiana farmers today wrote members of the state’s Congressional delegation to urge them to expedite passage of the 2007 farm bill and oppose efforts to extend the current bill. “Louisiana’s farm community is deeply concerned about the delay in approving the 5-year reauthorization of U.S. farm policy,” the groups…
Washington (Nov. 20, 2007)—Twenty-six organizations representing farmers and ranchers from coast to coast are calling upon the U.S. Senate to oppose an effort to gut the safety net provided to America’s farmers in the 2007 farm bill. The November 16 letter urged Senators to oppose the Farm, Ranch, Equity, Stewardship and Health (FRESH) Act (S.…
WASHINGTON (Nov. 16, 2007)—As word spreads in rural America about a pending farm bill amendment to slash federal farm benefits, opposition to the plan sponsored by Senators Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) and Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) continues to grow. “The Grassley-Dorgan amendment would not just hurt Virginia farmers but the communities we live and work in,” said…
WASHINGTON (Nov. 16, 2007)—Oppose the Grassley-Dorgan Amendment Senate Agriculture Committee Bill Reforms… Saves Nearly $500 Million. Pay limits in the Senate Agriculture Committee farm bill save nearly half a billion dollars, according to the Congressional Budget Office. And those savings would increase if crop prices fall. Provides 100% Benefit Transparency. The Senate Agriculture Committee bill…
Washington (Nov. 13, 2007)—In a letter sent today to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, key farming groups expressed their disappointment in “the lack of progress made” last week on the 2007 farm bill. The National Farmers Union, the American Farm Bureau Federation and the National Association of State Departments of…
Washington (Nov. 8, 2007)—As the U.S. Senate begins consideration of the 2007 farm bill, it is understandable that Senators and America’s farmers and ranchers may feel a little dejavu. That’s because the Senate will debate a rehash of the unpopular Kind-Flake amendment that was resoundingly defeated 117-309 on the House floor in July. The Senate…
Excerpt from a Nov. 8 Statement on the Senate Floor I wish to take just a minute to address an issue that appeared in The Washington Post earlier this week. [A]s with most people who write these editorials and publish them around the country, frankly, this editorial is filled with total inaccuracies. I want to…
By: Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) [D]espite the fact that our Nation enjoys but does not apparently appreciate the fact that production agriculture does provide this country and a very troubled and hungry world the very best quality food at the lowest price in the history of the world, we have heard a lot of repeated…
WASHINGTON (Nov. 6, 2007)—Last week, Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) announced that he intended to offer an amendment to the farm bill that would price farmers and ranchers out of insurance while forcing many providers out of business. The Brown bill is based on the failed amendment offered during House floor consideration by Congressman Jim Cooper…
WASHINGTON (Nov. 6, 2007)—The farm bill unanimously passed by the Senate Agriculture Committee struck a delicate balance between numerous budget and political priorities and should not be weakened with amendments. That was the message to Senators Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) in a letter sent yesterday from 23 farm organizations. “With a very…
Washington (Nov. 5, 2007)—Major agricultural groups from across the country today wrote leaders of the Senate Agriculture Committee to urge them to “reject any amendments which are designed to further reduce benefits or place additional restrictions on program eligibility” when the farm bill reaches the Senate floor. “The provisions of the 2007 farm legislation, as…
Any businessperson worth their salt has, at minimum, a 5-year business plan that projects revenue, expenses, and projected profit. In fact, most banks demand such detailed plans before issuing business operating loans. Tommy Hoskyn, a rice and soybean farmer from Stuttgart, Ark., is no stranger to business planning. But proper planning has become almost impossible…
“When you feed the world, you are as important as any ambassador or government diplomat,” explained 50-year-old Gene (Pucky) Sandager, a corn, soybean, and cattle producer from Hills, Minnesota. But Gene does a lot more than just feed the world; he is teaching the world how to feed itself. Gene’s family has been very involved…
Roberts Amendment Allows Farmers to Elect Revenue Option Without Sacrificing Safety Net WASHINGTON (Oct. 31, 2007)—Farm families across the country breathed a collective sigh of relief last week after the Senate Agriculture Committee unanimously accepted an amendment offered by Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS) that would allow farmers to elect to participate in a countercyclical revenue…
Being a fresh college graduate is one of the scariest and thrilling times of one’s lifetime. All of a sudden it is up to you to make your own decisions. But what if your decision entailed entering a risky industry? Patrick Johnson faced this challenging decision when he graduated from the University of Mississippi where…
WASHINGTON (Oct. 19, 2007)—A letter from 15 organizations sent to Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Harkin and Ranking Member Chambliss “to urge prompt action on 2007 farm legislation” underscores the need to complete the farm bill in 2007. These organizations—representing a wide array of commodities and farmers and ranchers from across the U.S. wrote—urged prompt action…
If they spent some time in rural America, witnessing the hard work and risk that farmers and ranchers endure every day, I think we would see fewer editorial pages pontificating about farmers getting rich on taxpayer subsidies. Every year, farmers and ranchers invest thousands of dollars into their crop, buying equipment, fuel, seed, fertilizer, water,…
“Little House on the Prairie” Opposes Grassley-Dorgan Pay Limits Amendment Tom and DeVonna Zeug have a lot in common with the famous Charles Ingalls family who, in the late 19th century, settled on a farm just seven miles away from what is today the Zeug family’s fifth generation farm. “Believe it or not, John Zeug,…
David Kragnes sits on the Board of Directors for a major American company. But David is different from your average corporate board member. He doesn’t wear a three-piece suit to work every day or drive a luxury sedan. He drives a Deere and feels more comfortable in jeans. David is a fourth-generation sugarbeet farmer from…
He is a cotton farmer, soybean farmer, wheat farmer and corn farmer, and when he’s not farming he is extremely active in his community. He is on the Board of Directors for the Private Christian Academy, President for the County Planning Commission, Deputy Commissioner for the Soil & Water Conservation District, President and Board Member…
When John Thaemert isn’t sporting a suit and sitting behind his desk at the Citizens State Bank & Trust Co. in Ellsworth, Kan., he’s wearing jeans and working on his wheat farm a few miles down the road near Sylvan Grove. John started working with investments and financial services in 1986. “I feel extremely fortunate…
WASHINGTON (Sept. 28, 2007)—With just two days remaining before the current farm bill expires, organizations of all political stripes today sent a letter to Senate leaders “to support expedited action on the 2007 Farm Bill.” “While our organizations have differences on specific policy recommendations, we believe it is vitally important that the Senate Agriculture Committee…
This much we know for certain: A new farm bill will not be signed into law by the time the clock runs out on the current farm bill in 11 days. And what happens next has caused tremendous confusion. Technically, the farm bills of 1938 and 1949 would kick in because these are the most…
By: Congressman Marion Berry Most Americans start their days the same way. Get out of bed, shower, put on clothes (most likely cotton), and head to the kitchen for a quick bite to eat before work or school. You might pour a tall glass of milk and sprinkle a little sugar in your bowl of…
WASHINGTON (Sept. 11, 2007)—More than 20 organizations representing farmers and ranchers from across the U.S. called for “swift action in the Senate” on the 2007 farm bill in a letter [view letter] sent yesterday to key members of the U.S. Senate. The letter underscores agriculture’s continued unity in passing a strong farm bill and highlighted…
By: U.S. Senator Max Baucus Standing Up For American Agriculture Over the last few years, major newspapers and special interest groups have been busy demeaning our nation’s farmers and ranchers. The articles come with some pejorative titles, such as “Farmers at the Trough,” “Hungry Kids, Greedy Farmers,” “Farm Subsidies: Necessary Evil?” and “Agriwelfare: The expiring…
Sept. 24 marks the two-year anniversary of the “big flood” in Abbeville, Louisiana. That’s when Hurricane Rita brought an unprecedented squall that would change the small rice-farming town forever. Overnight, farmers in Abbeville lost homes, farm equipment and more than half of the town’s rice acres. Ross Hebert, a grower of nine years, said the…
By: U.S. Senator Blanche Lincoln “Our farmers deserve praise, not condemnation; and their efficiency should be cause for gratitude, not something for which they are penalized.” Those were the words of President John F. Kennedy, and they still ring true today. Unfortunately, all too often you can open up a newspaper to find at least…
WASHINGTON (August 29, 2007)—SpongeBob Square Pants, Curious George and Thomas the Tank Engine last week became the latest lead-based casualties in the Chinese toy saga, putting parents on high alert about the quality of imports. These high-profile product recalls landed on the front page of most major newspapers and remain in the news. But today…