Farm Bill Update for September
In 2007, should we keep the Farm Bill as it stands, or revise it? This will be the focal point in the debate about the policy for our food supply, which will be in place until 2012. What does your political representative think about the Farm Bill? You should find out.
As predicted last month, many national farm groups support extending the current Farm Bill or revising it slightly. These groups make the reasonable argument that American farm policy should reflect the global market set in motion by the World Trade Organization’s agricultural policy decisions. Since those talks broke down, farm groups say, we should extend the current Farm Bill until we know what we’ll be facing in the big, scary world. Of course, keeping the current Farm Bill favors the large-scale farmers involved in these groups.
The Chicago Council on Global Affairs urges our WTO representatives to get back into talks, which derailed in part because of our insistence on market protections for American farmers. But the nonpartisan think tank calls for dramatic changes to the Farm Bill, not the wait-and-see attitude that agribusiness advocates. The committee that published the report [PDF] urged policy makers to divorce subsidies from specific crops (such as corn) and instead fund insurance and savings programs so that a wide variety of farmers can weather a range of problems. The committee also urged support for farmers who practice sustainable agriculture. In short, the Chicago Council wants farmers to focus on crop diversity instead of the monocultures that have decimated the soils and populations of rural America.
That radical shift would be fine with the specialty crop industry. The producers responsible for nuts, fruits, and vegetables want the new Farm Bill to consider their needs, which represent a big chunk of the agriculture economy.
Expect more friction between small producers and corporate farms as the Farm Bill date gets closer. Remember, unless your representatives hear from you, they’re not likely to focus on this issue.
