“In a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., senators stated, ‘With our constant focus on job creation, we write to urge you to schedule floor consideration of the ‘Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act of 2012′ as soon as possible.’”
“‘Federal crop insurance provides an effective risk management tool to farmers and ranchers when they are facing losses beyond their control,’ the letter stated. ‘It reduces taxpayer risk exposure; it makes hedging possible to help mitigate market volatility; and it provides lenders with greater certainty that loans made to producers will be repaid.’”
The release added that, “NCGA has previously stated that crop insurance remains the number one priority in the new farm bill as well as a market oriented, risk management tool to cover multi-year price declines.”
DTN Ag Policy Editor Chris Clayton reported yesterday (link requires subscription) that, “The crop insurance industry could benefit from ‘common sense structural changes,’ according to a pair of senators, who cite a recent government study in calling on the Senate Agriculture Committee to further investigate reducing premium subsidies to farmers.
“In a bi-partisan letter, Sens. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., and Dick Durbin, D-Ill., wrote earlier this week to Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., and ranking member Pat Roberts, R-Kan., asking them examine ways to find taxpayer savings in crop insurance. Coburn and Durbin cited a Government Accountability Office report last month requested by Coburn that highlighted the growing costs of the crop insurance program.”
DTN Political Correspondent Jerry Hagstrom reported yesterday that, “All crops need a farm program that protects them from multiyear price drops, House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas said Tuesday, a position with which House Agriculture ranking member Collin Peterson agrees.
“In a wide-ranging exclusive interview with The Hagstrom Report and DTN, Lucas, R-Okla., praised Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., for her ‘herculean efforts’ to get a bill through committee, and said that he would not underestimate her ability to convince Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., to provide time on the Senate floor to debate the bill.
“However, Lucas said although the Senate bill’s ‘shallow loss’ revenue program that would cover some losses beyond crop insurance is ‘a great tool’ in good times when prices are high, it would not provide a proper safety net if prices plummet.”
A news release yesterday from the National Farmers Union (NFU) stated that, “[NFU] and a coalition of agricultural, conservation, environmental, energy, forestry, hunger, and rural stakeholders sent a letter to Senate leadership today urging them to bring the Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act of 2012 to the Senate floor as soon as possible. NFU led the effort, which was supported by more than 125 organizations.
“‘This is one piece of legislation upon which all Americans depend, urban as well as rural,’ stated the letter. ‘With limited time remaining before the expiration of current program authorities, time is of the essence.’”
Also yesterday, the Senate Agriculture Committee provided an updated summary of the Farm Bill proposal it passed on April 26; this summary overview is available here.
Daniel Malloy reported on Friday evening at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Online that, “Tim Burch’s family farm in southwest Georgia has been buoyed by federal farm subsidies in years when cotton and peanut prices have plummeted.
“That safety net is threatened this year, Burch said, as Congress moves forward on a new farm bill, aiming for tens of billions of dollars in cuts by remaking the federal subsidy system. The result earned bipartisan support in a Senate committee last month, but a group of Southern senators including Georgia Republican Saxby Chambliss refused to back the bill, saying it’s a raw deal in particular for peanut and rice farmers.
“In a phone interview last week, Burch, of Baker County, said a new proposed insurance plan would be inadequate.”
DTN Ag Policy Editor Chris Clayton reported yesterday (link requires subscription) that, “The chance of a farm bill coming out of the U.S. Senate anytime soon could hinge largely on safety net prospects for a pair of Southern crops that collectively account for about 4.5 million acres of the 320 million or so acres that will be planted this year.
“With the cotton industry largely satisfied with its new insurance program, rice and peanut farmers are counting on Southern senators to make a stand for them before the Senate floor debate on the new farm bill. They also see more hope in the House, where Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas, R-Okla., has said the Senate farm bill doesn’t do enough to factor in regional and crop differences.”
Senate Agriculture Committee Member John Boozman (R., Ark.) was a guest yesterday on KASU radio (Jonesboro, Ark.) with host Mark Smith where in part, the two discussed 2012 Farm Bill issues and the bill that passed the Senate Agriculture Committee last week.
During a portion of yesterday’s discussion, Sen. Boozman elaborated on concerns from Southern producers, the potential difference in the House “vision” of the measure, why the Senate Ag Committee voted on a Farm Bill proposal prior to the House Ag Committee, and the SNAP (food stamps) program. The discussion of these issues can be heard in this clip from the KASU program (MP3- 3:50).
A press release last night from the Senate Ag Committee indicated that, “Senator Debbie Stabenow, Chairwoman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, will convene a meeting of the full Committee for purposes of considering and marking up the 2012 Farm Bill on Thursday, April 26 at 10:30 a.m. in the Committee’s hearing room, 328-A of the Russell Senate Office Building.”
Recall that today’s hearing was originally scheduled for Wednesday. With respect to this one-day delay, a daily National Journal Daily Email from yesterday, the Need-To-Know Memo, reported that, “After complaints from Southern farm groups and western corn growers, the Senate Committee on Agriculture Nutrition and Forestry has postponed the markup of the Farm Bill.”
David Rogers reported last night at Politico that, “After a steady drumbeat of Southern grumbling, the Senate Agriculture Committeeabruptly announced Tuesday night that it was postponing action on its new draft farm bill, a 900-page giant promising $26.4 billion in savings over the next decade, largely by ending the current system of direct cash payments and reinvesting in new forms of crop insurance.”
A statement from Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D., Mich.) noted that, “‘The Agriculture Committee has made significant progress and have bipartisan agreement on the bulk of the Farm Bill. We are committed to continuing to work together in a bipartisan way as we come to agreement on a few outstanding issues. This is a bill that impacts 16 million jobs and a huge sector of America’s economy, and it is important that we move prudently to create the best possible product.’
“A new date and time for the rescheduled hearing will be announced shortly.”
And Ranking Member Pat Roberts (R., Kan.) noted yesterday that, “I support Chairwoman Stabenow’s decision to postpone the Farm Bill mark-up scheduled for tomorrow morning. Significant bipartisan progress has been made on many sections of the bill. Just a few issues remain to be worked out. I have given the Chairwoman my commitment to getting this job done. I’m confident the Committee can move forward in a bipartisan manner in the near future.”
Farm Bill: Some Groups Seek Delay in Senate Markup
David Rogers reported last night at Politico that, “A draft Senate farm bill would save $26.4 billion over the next 10 years, but it faces resistance from Southern commodity interests who are pressing for a delay in Wednesday’s markup before the Senate Agriculture Committee.
“The new cost estimates, released late Monday by the Congressional Budget Office, offer the most complete assessment yet of the 900-page measure that seeks to end the current system of direct cash payments to growers and reinvest more in new forms of crop insurance.”
DTN Ag Policy Editor Chris Clayton reported yesterday (link requires subscription) that, “With the Senate Agriculture Committee expected to release Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow’s proposed bill as early as Friday, eight major agricultural groups wrote senators on Thursday asking them to avoid cuts in crop insurance and stay away from hikes in target prices.
“Stabenow, D-Mich., and Ranking Member Pat Roberts, R-Kan., are expected to release a joint bill on Friday with anticipation that the Agriculture Committee will debate and pass a bill next week. Still, no official word has come down from the committee regarding a mark-up for the bill.
“The farm groups credited the Senate Agriculture Committee for sticking with the $23 billion in cuts proposed in the failed supercommittee talks last fall. President Barack Obama and leaders in the House Budget Committee have pushed for higher cuts.”
Budget Issues (Farm Bill): House Ag Committee Business Meeting on Budget Reconciliation Instructions
Reuters writer Emily Stephenson reported yesterday that, “A U.S. congressional panel approved about $33 billion in cuts over 10 years from food stamp benefits, in a largely symbolic and highly partisan vote opposed by committee Democrats and by anti-poverty groups.
“The cuts advanced by the House of Representatives Agriculture Committee on Wednesday would reduce spending on food stamps that help 46 million people buy food by $7.7 billion in the first year, by $19.7 billion in five years, and the balance in the next five years.
“The cuts are expected to die in the Democratic-controlled Senate. But the vote by voice underscored Republicans’ preference for domestic spending cuts over defense cuts or tax hikes as they try to avoid automatic cuts that take effect in January.”
Farm Bill Developments: Timing, SNAP Issues, and Conservation
DTN Ag Policy Editor Chris Clayton reported yesterday that, “Senate Agriculture Committee leaders are ready to hold a committee meeting next week to adopt and pass a new farm bill.
“Reflecting a bipartisanship not seen recently, Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., said she and ranking member Pat Roberts, R-Kan., will have a ‘joint mark for the committee,’ meaning they will present one bill to the entire committee under both of their names. The formal mark could be released by the end of this week, she said.
“Stabenow hasn’t officially announced a markup date, but the Senate Agriculture Committee is planning for April 25. It’s possible the mark-up session could take more than one day.”
Jonathan Weisman reported in Saturday’s New York Times that, “House Republicans return from spring recess next week to face the difficult — some say impossible — task of filling the gaping holes in the House-passed budget, including figuring out how to slash income tax rates without costing the government any money and finding nearly $3 trillion in savings from entitlement programs over the next decade.
“The budget, which passed the House last month and has since become a central focus of the presidential campaign, has faced blistering criticism for steep cuts to federal programs, including a blast from President Obama, who called it ‘thinly veiled social Darwinism.’”
Mr. Weisman pointed out that, “A half-dozen committees will begin drafting legislation to meet a budget-mandated $261 billion in savings over the next decade to stave off scheduled across-the-board cuts to the military in January.”
“The Agriculture Committee must slice $33.2 billion from its programs, most likely focusing on nutrition and food stamps,” the article noted.
An update at the House Agriculture Committee webpage indicated that the Committee Members will meet on Wednesday morning “to consider a proposal to satisfy the Committee’s reconciliation instructions required by H. Con. Res. 112.”
Brett Neely reported yesterday at Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) Online that, “Farmers may face some uncertainty by harvest time as Congress grapples with rewriting the farm bill before it expires in September. On the table are big cuts in federal farm spending.”
“At a recent field hearing in Arkansas, House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas, an Oklahoma Republican, sounded optimistic.
“‘We don’t have an easy road ahead of us but I’m confident that by working together we can craft a farm bill that continues to support the success story that is American agriculture,’ Lucas said.”
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Posted by Keith Good • May, 16, 2012 • 3:54 am 