FarmPolicy

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Farm Bill

Chris Clayton reported yesterday at the DTN Ag Policy Blog that, “U.S. Sen. Dick Lugar, R-Ind., issued a news release Wednesday stating he welcomed the decision by the Iowa Farm Bureau calling for an end of direct subsidy payments to farmers and basing farm programs on revenue-based insurance. Currently the U.S. Department of Agriculture makes annual payments of roughly $5 billion to farmers. These payments are made regardless of market or weather conditions and were intended in the 1996 farm bill as a transition from depression-era crop subsidy programs to a free market approach.”

Sen. Lugar’s news release indicated that, “In the 2002 and 2007 federal farm bill debates, Lugar proposed scrapping antiquated programs and replacing them with crop specific revenue-based and whole farm revenue-based insurance. His 2007 Farm, Ranch, Equity, Stewardship and Health (FRESH) Act would have phased out current farm programs that benefit roughly half of U.S. farmers and instead offered all U.S. farmers options that protected against severe losses of revenue on an annual basis. The changes would save billions of taxpayer dollars.”

“Lugar’s amendment did not pass, but was supported by nearly four-fifths of the Senate, an increase from three-fifths in 2002.”

Editor’s Note: Sen. Lugar’s press release has been updated: “Lugar’s amendment did not pass, but was supported by nearly four-tenths of the Senate, an increase from three-tenths in 2002.”

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Posted by Keith Good • September, 9, 2010 • 3:28 am