Growers and Grocers

Last month, Democrats reclaimed the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. What will this victory mean for the Farm Bill, scheduled to be revised next year? Not much, argues Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns. While this response may be another example of the Bush administration’s Pollyanna outlook on the state of the world, Johanns feels that Farm Bill policies tend to be less partisan than other issues. Plus, he notes, Congress will face the same budget constraints whether Democrats or Republicans rule the roost.

Nonetheless, Johanns has met with Collin Peterson, the Minnesota representative expected to take over the House Agriculture Committee. In the past, Peterson supported an extension of the current Farm Bill, but he has abandoned that line of thought, which he proposed in the face of a pending WTO agreement that would remove U.S. farm supports. With the WTO talks on hold, both Peterson and Senator Tom Harkin, who will chair the Senate’s agricultural committee, agree that they can write a new five-year bill rather than extend the current legislation.

It’s not hard to figure out the key areas that Congress will debate as the Farm Bill approaches. When Mike Johanns addressed the National Association of Farm Broadcasters, he pointed out the needs of the “specialty crop” industry, which rivals the subsidized “program crops” such as cotton and soybeans. Specialty crop farmers aren’t asking for equivalent subsidies, but they do want some of the Farm Bill’s money to go towards research and investment that supports their business.

And while the upcoming Farm Bill talks were always going to include funding for ethanol production, the incoming Democrat majority has stated that this will be a priority for them. Nancy Pelosi, future Speaker of the House, sees it as a way to gain urban and rural support for Farm Bill legislation.

That’s the current state of the 2007 Farm Bill. Remember, call your representatives and senators and ask them where they stand on Farm Bill policy. Let them hear your opinions about the agricultural budget that puts food on your plate. If you want more regular updates about farm policy, subscribe to the free email newsletter from FarmPolicy.com.