Farm Groups Warn Against Eroding Commodity Safety Net

WASHINGTON (Feb. 14, 2008)—Forty-two farm groups today sent a letter to leaders from the House and Senate Agriculture Committees expressing concern that a farm bill proposal unveiled earlier this week is “seriously under-funded.” House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) and Ranking Member Robert Goodlatte (R-Va.) introduced the new farm bill package, which was drafted…

Competing Silos

WASHINGTON (Feb. 7, 2008)—Although it has been nearly two months since the U.S. Senate approved a farm bill by an overwhelming, bipartisan vote, and over a half-a-year since the House approved its version, efforts to protect tax shelters and loopholes that raise taxes on everyone else continues to threaten successful completion of a farm bill.…

Extending the Pain

ORLANDO, FL. (Feb. 5, 2008)—As bleak as the budget situation looks for the farm bill right now, “it doesn’t get any better beyond 2008,” a policy analyst with Informa Economics told sugarbeet farmers at their annual convention today. A number of issues—from a shrinking budget baseline to a growing budget deficit, a slumping economy, increased…