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Farm Legislation Moves Forward
By Mr Ethanol | October 30, 2007
Fort Smith Times Record:
As Congress moves closer to adopting the 2007 Farm Bill, Arkansas farmers are preparing to fight again a decades-long battle over subsidy payments.
The legislation to reauthorize the nation’s agriculture programs advanced out of the Senate’s agriculture committee last week and headed to the Senate floor, where a showdown along geographical lines is expected. Midwest senators are expected to try to reduce the amount of government money eligible to farmers. Southern lawmakers are opposed, contending that crops like cotton and rice are more costly to produce and deserve the funding.
Arkansas Agriculture Secretary Richard Bell said Southern growers had sacrificed enough during negotiations for this year’s version of the Farm Bill, which is typically renewed every five years.
Both the House and Senate versions of the bill eliminate the “three-entity rule,” which allowed for additional subsidy payments for farmers in business partnerships, and toughen income limits for payment eligibility.
“I don’t want to have any more concessions,” said Bell, a former chairman of Riceland Foods and former official at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. “We made concessions going through the House bill and I think that’s as far as we need to go.”
Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., has long said the government programs are necessary to make sure farmers stay solvent, food stays inexpensive and America competes in an increasingly competitive global marketplace.
The government “safety net” to protect farm revenue keeps food safe, abundant and affordable, said Lincoln, an Agriculture Committee member.
Topics: Agriculture, Ethanol, Legislative, News |
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