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…
DetailsWashington (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…
DetailsAny 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…
Details“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…
DetailsRoberts 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…
DetailsBeing 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…
DetailsWASHINGTON (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…
DetailsIf 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,…
Details“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,…
DetailsDavid 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…
DetailsHe 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…
DetailsWhen 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…
DetailsWASHINGTON (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…
DetailsThis 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…
DetailsBy: 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…
DetailsWASHINGTON (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…
DetailsBy: 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…
DetailsSept. 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…
DetailsBy: 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…
DetailsWASHINGTON (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…
DetailsWASHINGTON (August 17, 2007)—Much to the delight of farmers and ranchers in rural America, members of the Senate Agriculture Committee have repeatedly praised the agricultural provisions of the House farm bill during Congress’ August recess. “It’s pretty hard to argue against the House-passed farm bill,” Republican Sen. Norm Coleman (Minn.) said via conference call last…
DetailsCALIFORNIA (August 8, 2007)—At the American Sugar Alliance’s 24th International Sweetener Symposium, farmers from across the country came together to pledge a common goal of supporting a strong 2007 farm bill. The bill passed the House of Representatives on July 27. With the Senate slated to take up the legislation in September, key agriculture groups…
DetailsNowadays, everybody seems to be hopping on the ethanol bandwagon. It’s a centerpiece for aspiring presidents’ energy stump speeches. Wall Street is looking to Main Street for investment opportunities. And even one-time opponents of the clean burning fuel admit it will be vital to weaning America off its foreign oil dependence. But for farmers like…
DetailsIf you’ve eaten rice one night this week for dinner, there’s a 50-50 chance it came from Arkansas, and there’s a high likelihood it passed through a small town you’ve probably never heard of…unless you’re an avid hunter. Stuttgart, Arkansas, is commonly called “the duck and rice capital of the world” because the town produces…
DetailsWASHINGTON (July 31, 2007)—In a victorious moment for America’s farmers, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly rejected the Kind-Flake amendment last Thursday night by an astonishing vote of 309 to 117. Thanks to the support and persistence of the House Agriculture Committee and Chairman Collin Peterson (D-Minn.), as well as various coalitions and associations representing America’s…
DetailsWASHINGTON (July 27, 2007)—After an intense buildup to what most Washington insiders thought would be a bloody battle, the much-anticipated Kind-Flake farm bill hit the House floor with a thud late last night. The plan offered by Reps. Ron Kind (D-Wis.) and Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) was swiftly and soundly defeated by a vote of 309…
DetailsWASHINGTON (July 25, 2007)—In a Dear Colleague letter to Members of Congress today, Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) joined the growing voices of legislators supporting a strong farm bill and called upon her colleagues to “Please oppose any attempts to weaken this important measure…and support H.R. 2419.” In her letter, Velázquez—who serves as Chairwoman of…
DetailsWASHINGTON (July 24, 2007)—Farmers from across the United States are descending upon Capitol Hill in anticipation this week’s floor vote on H.R. 2419 in the U.S. House of Representatives. Those farmers are actively working to have their voices heard. In a letter sent to all members of Congress today, major national, regional, and state agriculture…
DetailsWASHINGTON (July 23, 2007)—The farm bill plan introduced by two extremist members of the House of Representatives, Ron Kind (D-Wis.) and Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), would devastate rural economies and farms across the country, according to a study released today by the Agriculture and Food Policy Center at Texas A&M. All crop farms and nearly all…
DetailsBy now, the opponents of farm policy sound like broken records. The Senate Agriculture Committee had not even completed its markup of the farm bill, and these naysayers were already attacking the bill and Committee members for not making reforms. It seems like no matter how many concessions the agricultural community makes, they will never…
DetailsAll too often we hear from self-anointed advocates who claim that U.S. farm policies contribute to poverty around the world. Yet they consistently ignore the real experts on global issues calling for the very same policies those naysayers are predisposed to reject. Moreover, rarely, if ever, does the media focus attention on the international organizations…
DetailsThe last vote had barely been cast on the House farm bill when the spin machines for groups from the far right and far left started whining in overdrive. Oxfam America—a group that invested considerable resources promoting the Kind-Flake farm bill that was swiftly and soundly defeated by a bipartisan vote—issued a press release entitled…
DetailsWASHINGTON (July 18, 2007)—U.S. agriculture is under siege and the farm policies on which so many depend are close to being gutted. Rural America must stand up and be heard. That is the startling message being delivered to growers across the country by their leaders in Washington. “An amendment or series of amendments to eliminate…
DetailsBy Farmer X WASHINGTON (July 17, 2007)—According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), my operation received about $110,000 in farm program payments in the 2005 program year—a lot of money by many standards. The insinuation of this is that we are rich farmers, rolling in the dough provided by hardworking American taxpayers. Nothing could be…
DetailsBy: Jeff Nunley Recently, one of my neighbors in town was complaining about our U.S. farm program. He made the statement that he wished the government would subsidize his income, like it did for farmers. My response was that our farm program did subsidize his income. How? By keeping food costs low. This frees up…
DetailsWASHINGTON (July 11, 2007)—The German Marshall Fund put out a press release on May 3 that proudly proclaimed, “Dan Morgan, former staff writer for the Washington Post, has joined the organization as a Transatlantic Fellow.”1 Morgan was quickly listed on the German Marshall Fund’s website as an ag policy expert2; he started writing a column…
DetailsThe Vietnam veteran from Erath, Louisiana, and his father were slowly increasing the size of the 100-acre farm that Charles’ grandfather started. Jerome, Charles’ young son quickly fell in love with farm life. The Guidry team was good about keeping costs low, and the prices they received for their crop seemed fair. Their world was…
DetailsMany Americans wrongly think that farmers are uneducated and not tech-savvy. When it comes to Barry Evans, a cotton farmer from Kress, Texas, nothing could be further from the truth. Barry is an early adopter of the latest farming technology, such as remote sensing, and he reads any article or study he can get his…
DetailsFor more than 200 years, sugar production has been a way of life in southern Louisiana. Locals say pure sugarcane pumps through the heart of the region, and tales of great-grandfathers working in dew-glistened cane fields have filled coffee shops for generations. For proof that sugar is interwoven into the very fabric of the state,…
DetailsTheresia Gillie is sick of the stereotypes of women on the farm. She doesn’t wear an apron all day, or can her own jams, or spend hours on end jotting down recipes. Theresia runs a 2,600-acre wheat, soybean, and sunflower farm with her husband, Keith, and her son, Bryce. She’s responsible for the farm’s budgeting,…
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