Now, with reports forecasting more acres planted with corn than have been in 75 years, consumers justifiably have questions.  Corn prices, if one looks at the commodity market, look high.  At the grocery store, food prices seem high.  Prices at the gas pump send the faint-of-hear t reeling, but they remember that corn-based ethanol filled up a portion of their tank.

Are corn farmers getting rich while the public continues to suffer?

In short- no.  In fact, reports out of South Dakota indicate that farm incomes there may have dropped by more than 12 percent in the past year alone.  A wet spring and dry fall, both enemies of farmers in that area, reared their ugly heads together. Faced with rising input costs and reduced yields, farmers plowed along to produce an abundant crop, but they received less compensation for their effort than in prior years.

Ethanol prices continue to fall too. With more acres going to corn in 2012, the ethanol market seems to anticipate corn production outpacing demand.  Thus anticipating lower input costs, ethanol actually hit an eight-week low to close out March.  Prices at the pump may be up, but the money isn’t flowing into farmers’ pockets.

While it is certain that the average farmer faces a much better situation today than he or she would have even ten years ago, it is important to remember that many of their peers were forced to leave the family farming tradition as low prices and high costs rendered their operations insolvent during the later part of the last century.

For the risk that they assume and back-breaking work that they do, farmers deserve to earn a fair wage.  Most willingly take on off-farm employment to support the tradition that they love.

Farm families have given of themselves to feed the country for generations.  Now, they need Americans to help secure their ability to do so securely for generations to come.  Take just a moment to write a letter to your representatives in Congress telling them that you support farmers and passage of a farm safety net program now by clicking here.

Senators Kent Conrad (D-ND), Max Baucus (D-MT) and John Hoeven (R-ND) unveiled what they are calling the “Revenue Loss Assistance and Crop Insurance Enhancement Act of 2012″ which they say reduces farm program complexity and duplication, strengthens the federal crop insurance program, permanently extends livestock disaster assistance, and would serve as a major component of a new Farm Bill.

The senators say the legislation would maintain a strong safety net for producers and still contribute to deficit reduction. “This proposal complements crop insurance, is much easier to administer than current farm programs, and gives our family farmers the support and flexibility they need to succeed,” Senator Conrad said.

Senator Baucus says the concept is one that agriculture interests have indicated they will support. “This bill is written with the direct input of the farmers and ranchers out there getting dirt under their nails every day to keep food on our tables,” he said. “I look forward to working with our colleagues to roll these priorities into a larger Farm Bill we can all be proud to support.”

In other action, Senators Tom Harkin (D-IA), Kent Conrad (D-ND), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Al Franken (D-MN) introduced legislation to reauthorize and fund the primary energy programs included in the current Farm Bill. The Rural Energy Investment Act would include a mandatory total of $1.275 billion over 5 years to strengthen the biobased markets program, fund the Biorefinery Assistance Program, reauthorize and fund the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) and more.

“We can and we must transition to cleaner, more sustainable energy systems, and rural America will play a crucial role in this transition,” said Sen. Harkin. “As we are formulating the next farm bill, it is even more critical that we include strong programs that encourage production and use of biomass feedstocks for advanced biofuels and biomaterials, as well as assisting farmers and ranchers with adoption of energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies to replace their aging energy systems.”

The annual commemoration of the importance of agriculture is traditionally celebrated on the first day of spring to recognize the start of planting season, but the event in the nation’s capitol is held a little earlier in the month when Congress is in session so lawmakers can attend.

Among those who attended the festivities on Thursday was Congressman Collin Peterson (D-MN), Ranking Member of the House Agriculture Committee, pictured here chatting with National Corn Growers Association Chairman Bart Schott of North Dakota during the Ag Day Meet and Mingle Luncheon.

During brief remarks, the Congressman talked about his desire to do what he can to support the effort to communicate the importance of agriculture to the general public and those who implement policies in the nation’s capitol. “People think that they know better than farmers how to do things. Most of them have no clue what they’re doing,” he said.

Peterson also talked about how the agriculture committee worked together across party lines to try and get a farm bill as part of last year’s “super committee” process. “Unfortunately, we were the only committee in Congress that did what was required and that is to come together with a bill that would actually reduce our budget,” he said. “No other committee even tried to do it and the super committee fell apart.”

He says the farm bill process will begin in earnest over the next few weeks. “Our goal is to try and get this done by May or early June. It will not be easy, given the climate around here.” the congressman said. “We’re determined to work together and try to do what’s best for agriculture and for America.” He added that agriculture is “the only part of the economy is working.”

Listen to remarks from Congressman Peterson here: Remarks from Congressman Collin Peterson

2012 National Agriculture Day Activities Photo Album

In his address to the General Session, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack spent the vast majority of his address explaining not only what this legislation should encompass, including a safety net in the form of improved crop insurance offerings and investments in research and infrastructure, but also that it absolutely must be passed within the next nine months.

“Saying budgets are tight and complaining about how hard it is to pass a farm bill won’t make it any easier next year,” he explained. “Today’s legislators need to quit pointing the finger of blame and the difficulty of our economic times and get things done.”

The Secretary’s proclamation resonated with National Corn Growers Association leadership and staff with President Garry Niemeyer driving the message home to Corn Congress attendees during Saturday’s session.

Farmers and the Americans dependent upon agriculture for food, feed and fuel must speak up now.  A remarkable demonstration of grassroots support is direly needed to spur legislators to action.

Take just a few moments and add your voice to the cry.  Click here to send an email telling your elected officials in Washington that Americans support agriculture and demand action on the farm bill in 2012.  Speaking together, we create the megaphone needed to wake up our Congress and secure the future of one of the most vital sectors of our economy.

“If we’re going to be a dynamic progressive, productive country we have to have our own source of energy at a reasonable price,” Hastert said during an appearance at a GROWMARK, FS System event in East Peoria this week. “Whether it comes from Iran or Iraq or Saudi Arabia or Nigeria or Venezuela – those are countries that we don’t necessarily have the ability to trust.”

Hastert is adamant about the importance of renewable fuels and ethanol in particular. “We need to use ethanol,” he said. “I fought for ethanol from the time that I was in Congress for 15 years and finally got through the Ways and Means Committee along with a guy named Nussle from Iowa and we got ethanol with the tax credits so it could be a viable product. If we sit back and don’t do anything about it, we’re going to lose it.”

Listen to Speaker Hastert’s comments about ethanol during his address: Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert

I also had the opportunity to interview Hastert after his address and he expanded on his comments about the importance of domestic energy production to agriculture. “I always believed that farmers were best off when they sold more than a commodity, if they could sell something that has value-added,” he said. “When you look across our corn fields in the Midwest and see one out of every four rows of corn that goes to ethanol, you know that you’re securing a price that farmers can put a crop in the field and make a living.”

That ties in with what the former speaker thinks will happen in the next farm bill. “I think you’ll see some of the subsidies that farmers have grown to rely on are going to be gone just because of the shortage in the budget,” Hastert said, noting that he has two farms himself. “What we need to do in the farm community is to make sure we keep those markets for our products that we have and can be independent of government subsidies.”

Hastert served as Speaker of the House from 1998 to 2007, the longest-serving Republican Speaker in history.

Listen to the interview here: Dennis Hastert Interview

“We had a lot of things that came together and pushed prices up for a wide variety of products the last couple of years,” said Patrick Westhoff, Director of the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI) during a visit at the St. Louis Agribusiness Club. “We expect a lot of volatility in the year ahead.”

One of the main reasons is an “ordinary garden variety one” – the weather. “People tend to forget that sometimes,” said Westhoff. On top of that, the biggest factors to consider are land markets and what Congress will decide to do with farm policy. No surprises there!

He notes that tight stocks will continue to keep corn prices particularly volatile. “Every little piece of news, either positive or negative, can make the market move around a lot,” Westhoff added.

Westhoff believes that the spending cuts presented to the “super committee” by the House and Senate agriculture leadership should help start the conversation for a new farm bill in 2012, “but it certainly won’t be the end of that conversation.”

Listen to Chuck Zimmerman’s interview with Patrick Westhoff here: Patrick Westhoff Interview

Among the topics of interest were farm policy, this year’s crop, the American Ethanol partnership with NASCAR, USFRA, exports and atrazine. I hit on just about all of those subjects during my interview with Garry. Here’s some of his comments:

Farm Bill – “Passing farm bills usually takes about 15 months, and ironically, this one – if it happens – will be one of the quickest ever in history.”

Corn Crop – “All the adversity we’ve had, and here we are with the 4th largest corn crop. I’m thoroughly amazed.”

USFRA - “We’ve been laying a lot of the ground work here to get the message out to defend agriculture. We have everybody working together on the same page for the first time, telling our story.”

Trade – “These three free trade agreements give us the impetus to move forward to improve our infrastructure – locks and dams on the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers.”

American Ethanol – “We have been going back over the advertising and we’re at 71% acceptance, that’s with 75 million fans throughout the United States.”

Atrazine – “It’s been a stalwart, it works, it’s inexpensive, it keeps the price of food affordable for the American public.”

Listen to my interview with Garry here: NCGA president Garry Niemeyer

Two congressmen from the state of Illinois visited the big show in Decatur. Freshman Congressman House Agriculture Committee member Bobby Schilling (R-IL) participated in a press conference with the National Corn Growers Association on Tuesday. “I think as most people are aware, it’s been quite a storm in Washington, D.C., the last seven months,” Schilling said. “Coming out of the business sector right into Congress, it’s been quite frustrating for me to see what’s happening in our nation’s capitol.”

As far as the farm bill is concerned, Schilling says the “super committee” on reducing the deficit may make decisions that will impact farm programs so the agriculture committee needs to make recommendations on how spending could be cut. “Because if we don’t they will just go after dollar amounts without looking at where appropriate cuts could be made,” he said.

Listen to some of Congressman Schilling’s comments during the press conference here. Cong. Bobby Schilling

Congressman Tim Johnson (R-IL), who also serves on the House Agriculture Committee, visited Farm Progress Show on Wednesday to meet with farmers like Illinois Corn Growers President Jim Reed (R) pictured here with him. Johnson says he is optimistic that they can come up with a farm bill that’s “workable and still meets the confines of what we have to deal with in terms of limited dollars.”

He wants to make sure there continues to be a safety net for farmers. “And we need to make sure the House Agriculture Committee and people who know American agriculture are the people framing policy,” Johnson said.

Johnson also shares the concerns that farmers in the state have about government regulations making it more difficult to farm. “USDA, USDOT and most particularly EPA tying our left hand is a real burden,” he said. “This administration more than any other administration in history has done more to damage the ability of farmers to make a living.”

Listen to Meghan Grebner of Brownfield Ag News and me interview Cong. Johnson here. Cong. Tim Johnson

2011 Farm Progress Show Photo Album

Farmers have at least one friend in Congress these days in Representative Stephen Fincher (R-TN), who *in an address to the 2011 Southern Peanut Growers Conference said he was the “working farmer currently serving in the House.”*

“We’re 7th generation cotton farmers from the Frog Jump community in West Tennessee and still actively farm,” Rep. Fincher told me in an interview. “It’s an honor to serve in Washington and represent rural ag communities.”

Fincher is one of the freshman class in Congress that is shaking up the status quo in the Capitol and he is very concerned about cuts in agriculture funding being considered on the federal level. “Farmers understand that we’ve all got to tighten our belts a little bit, but we can’t kid ourselves and think that we can balance the budget on the back of one percent of the budget, which is what ag gets.”

Because of the current hot political climate in Washington, Fincher would like to see the current Farm Bill extended until after the 2012 election when cooler heads might prevail. “Where we could sit down and have a reasonable discussion about our next 5-6 years in the ag world,” he said. “I’m afraid from some of the comments made by some of our colleagues in Washington that they want to slash and burn the Farm Bill on the ag side!”

Listen to my interview with Rep. Fincher here: Congressman Stephen Fincher

Today, the first field hearing is being held in the home state of chairwoman Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, featuring agricultural representatives of all sectors, from corn and soybeans to cherries and apples. Last week, the committee held its first official Farm Bill hearing, with testimony from Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, former secretary Dan Glickman, Michigan farmer Barry Mumby, and others.

While USDA is not planning to propose a version of the Farm Bill as it has in the past, Vilsack recognized the obvious fact that agriculture policy will be affected by budget cuts. “I have no doubts that the next Farm Bill will be smaller than the one agreed to in 2008. In acknowledging that reality, I hope that this Committee will give serious thought to your priorities for American agriculture – your priorities for USDA – and to the values of the American people,” he told the committee.

As Co-Chair of The Chicago Council’s Global Agricultural Development Initiative, Glickman focused his testimony on America’s role in reducing global hunger and poverty through food aid programs included under the Farm Bill, while Mumby urged the committee to protect farmers with an adequate safety net. “I must say that this Committee has a daunting task and every farmer in the US as well as the rest of the world will be watching very carefully to analyze the effects of your Bill on their lives for the next few years,” he said.

Farmers have good reason to be concerned about what Congress will do this time around, since the percentage of dollars allocated to actual production agriculture in the legislation continues to decline to the point where it was only about 10 percent in the 2008 bill. Traditional support programs could very well be in jeopardy, as some are calling for a complete overhaul of agricultural policy. A recent report from the National Research Council Committee on Twenty-First Century Systems Agriculture proposed a “whole-system redesign” of U.S. agriculture that would “incorporate innovative agricultural systems such as organic farming, grass-fed and other alternative livestock production systems, mixed crop and livestock systems, and perennial grains…. it would require significant changes in market structures, policy incentives and public funding for agricultural science.”

The Farm Bill has undergone many transformations over the years, with some programs falling by the wayside and new programs taking their place. Even the name has changed over the years – it actually has never been called the “Farm Bill” – initially called the Agricultural Adjustment Act in 1933 and most recently the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act in 2008.

No matter what the name, the legislation has always recognized the importance of maintaining a strong agriculture industry for the security of the nation, something Congress needs to continue to keep in mind as the process to create a new “Farm Bill” begins.