The energy bill was on a roll after passing the House Thursday, but a failed vote to end debate in the Senate puts the bill back in limbo.
In urging Senators to block a vote on the bill, Sen. Pete Domenici of New Mexico, the ranking Republican on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, argued: “This is not a good bill, but it can be turned into a great bill.”
The White House threatened a veto over the bill which includes increased taxes for oil companies and requires utilities to generate more electricity from sources such as solar and wind energy.
Meanwhile, the Senate got back to work on the farm bill this morning after reaching a deal that will allow 20 amendments from each party.
At last week’s National Association of Farm Broadcasting convention, NCGA President Ron Litterer did a number of interviews including one with me about the farm bill.
In the picture Ron’s being interviewed by one of the many farm broadcasters that came by the NCGA booth.
I asked Ron where things stand from a corn grower perspective. It was really dark in the room so I apologize for the quality of the video but it works. I’m also posting the audio of the interview separately for you.
Listen to Ron Litterer Interview here:
Ron says he feels good that the Senate ag committee has put forward a revenue based proposal but that it would have been nice to see crop insurance integration included. Ron mentions the cloture vote that failed last week so it looks like it’s time for some more debate after the holiday.
Despite initial diplomatic words of praise, Acting Agriculture Secretary Chuck Conner does not seem to be very pleased overall with the Farm Bill out of the Senate Agriculture Committee this week.
“I have to note the provisions that raise loan rates and target prices for half a dozen crops,” Conner said in a telephone press conference on Thursday afternoon. “This is just simply bad policy. It paints a bull’s-eye on the backs of the American farmer, causes us enormous trouble internationally. It’s just simply bad farm policy. No reform at all.”
Conner also has major problems with the lack of change in payment limitations. “I will just tell you simply that the administration and I do not understand the unwillingness to take wealthy investors who are simply among the wealthiest of Americans, the top 2 percent of tax-filers in all of our country, off of direct government subsidies. We just simply can’t understand that unwillingness.”
“There’s not enough reform in this, not enough in terms of the AGI limits, not enough in terms of loan rates and target prices, a number of areas that are vital to us,” Conner said. “But we are confident that we can work these things out; that we can work with the members of Congress on this. The president is anxious to sign a farm bill this year and I know producers are anxious to have a farm bill as soon as possible so they can know the rules of the game.”
The country’s largest producer organizations also voiced concerns about the Senate farm bill. The National Corn Growers Association was most disappointed by the passage of an amendment offered by Senator Pat Roberts, R-Kan., which stripped the crop insurance integration from the Average Crop Revenue program.
“NCGA is deeply disappointed with this setback,” said NCGA President Ron Litterer. “The amendment makes the revenue proposal a much less attractive option to growers.”
Can we do better? We’ll see, since the bill is far from its final form. It must still be passed by the full Senate and then go to conference, but it is unlikely that we will see any real major reforms. No bill will make everyone happy, but there is definite reluctance on the part of Congress to make any sweeping reforms that might make the U.S. less vulnerable to challenges from world trading partners, institute more fairness among commodities, or to prevent wealthy investors in farmland from reaping subsidy benefits.
Got an interesting email from a corn grower in Iowa. Pam Johnson lives not too far from Greene, Iowa, where the movie King Corn was shot. She tells a different story.
These are her comments:
I had the opportunity to preview the movie King Corn, the story of two young men who return to Iowa to explore the community where their great grandparents once lived. It was interesting to see their perspective as they grew an acre of corn, but they missed the mark several times by their assumptions.
A movie is fun, but this is serious, because they assume corn is the root of all evil in the food system and they intend to use their assumptions to influence food policy.
They begin with the assumption that they are “going to die,” that they will have a shorter life span than their parents and that corn is to blame. The people they interview claim corn has no nutritive value, that corn is “crap”, that corn is a poison for cattle, that corn is solely responsible for making Americans obese and the cause of diabetes. They go on to say that corn is destroying us all, that it is foul to the human palate. When they finish harvesting their acre of corn, they lament that: “we have been farmers for nine months and our crop will be eaten by real people.” As a fifth-generation corn grower who is thankful to be able to harvest and provide for an abundant food supply, I have a different story to tell. This story may not make the movies, because presenting our truths and backing them up with facts and figures is just not as entertaining as “fantasy farming.” As in our grandparents’ day, farmers continue to provide an abundant and safe food supply. We believe that providing corn fed meat to our nation’s tables and those of a hungry global population is a good and honorable task. We believe that our children and grandchildren can live long and healthy lives if they eat and drink in moderation and exercise.
I attended the World Food Prize Symposium this past week, which addresses world hunger. As Norman Borlaug, the father of the green revolution credited for saving millions of hungry people said, “It is easy to criticize when your belly is full.”
An abundance of choices in healthy food is a blessing for Americans. Teach this to your children’s children. Tell them the whole story of food and agriculture.
The Senate Agriculture Committee finally completed work on its version of the 2007 Farm Bill about midday on Thursday. The bill was reported out of committee on a voice vote, despite the fact that one of the committee members intends to introduce his own version of a farm bill on the Senate floor.
Senator Dick Lugar (R-IN) criticized the House and Senate for failing to make significant reforms to farm policy. “These policies will increase market distorting subsidies, set up retaliation against all of our farm exports because it perpetuates a cotton program that repeatedly has been found to violate world trading rules.”
This week, Lugar introduced his Farm, Ranch, Equity, Stewardship and Health (FRESH) Act with co-sponsor Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) as an alternative to the bill passed out of the Senate Ag Committee, although it is unlikely to go anywhere. According to Lugar, his bill “would end depression era federal crops subsidies that benefit only a few farmers, of a few crops, in a few states. The new safety net would be an insurance program available to all American farmers.”
The Senate Ag Committee’s version of the farm bill largely keeps the current commodity title in place with only minor changes but will also offer producers an option to enroll in a revenue-based counter cyclical program.
Senate floor debate on the farm bill has yet to be scheduled.
The National Corn Growers Association is urging its members nationwide to call their Senators on Thursday October 18 and talk to them about what they would like to see in the 2007 Farm Bill.
“Right now the committee is scheduled to markup the farm bill Oct. 23,” said NCGA President Ron Litterer. “This is the time to let our senators on the agriculture committee know that producers should decide whether to stay with the existing program or utilize a revenue program. It is important to give farmers an option to choose the safety net program that works best for them. Call from Combine is an excellent vehicle for making the voices of the grassroots heard.”
Members nationwide are asked to contact their senators and ask them to include an optional, state-based, revenue countercyclical program in the farm bill.
It is also important to note that the state-based revenue countercyclical program (RCCP) option will not cost additional federal dollars because participating farmers agree to changes in direct payments and in exchange will have a better risk management tool, more affordable crop insurance premiums and at higher levels of coverage.
For more information about Call from the Combine, go to www.ncga.com.
The only way you get that fat off is to eat less and exercise more.–Jack La Lanne
Exercise guru Jack La Lanne may be having a comeback, if his ads for Target are any indication. The 20 somethings out there might not know who Jack is, but his messages on diet and exercise have endured. You can bet that Momma still tells the kids to eat their vegetables, drink their milk and play outside. Balance. That’s the key.
Apparently the creators of the junk movie “King Corn” didn’t get the message. This 90-minute movie (which is about 60 minutes too long) missed its opportunity to inform audiences on the contributions of U.S. farming. Instead, the movie is a poor attempt to influence the farm bill debate under way in Congress. Not surprising, slow-food movement advocate Michael Pollan was an advisor to the project, so says a New York Times article on the creation of movie. Much of the movie replays Pollan’s worn out mantra that corn is the cause of obesity.
Our suggestion? Save the $8 you’d spend on a ticket for this movie. Stay home with a rental of “Field of Dreams.”
Senate Agriculture Committee action on the 2007 Farm Bill was delayed again this week, with Ag Committee Chairman Tom Harkin citing “scheduling difficulties” as the reason for further postponing mark-up.
The ag committee was waiting on the Senate Finance Committee to markup the Heartland, Habitat, Harvest and Horticulture Act of 2007 which will extend some tax incentives for renewable energy; establish the Agricultural Disaster Relief Fund, a permanent disaster program; give beginning farmers and rural development some assistance; and provide funding for the 2007 Farm Bill.
Funding is THE main issue for the 2007 Farm Bill and everyone is asking for a bigger piece of the pie. The National Wildlife Federation, for example, is asking for an increase of six-billion dollars for conservation funding while the National 25x’25 Alliance wants more energy funding.
At this point, it appears the Farm Bill will now wait until after the Columbus Day recess, probably the week of October 22 - maybe longer. The 2002 Farm Bill has already expired but a temporary extension was passed authorizing funding until November 16.
Maybe if the Senate spent more time this week working on the farm bill and less time worrying about what Rush Limbaugh did or didn’t say it would be done by now. I’m sorry, but Rush is a talk show host, that’s his job. Our Senators need to do their jobs.
As was pretty much expected the Senate didn’t get a farm bill passed before the 2002 Farm Bill expired yesterday. They’ve got some more work to do apparently. Go to the Senate Ag Committee homepage and there’s not a word about it. Of course their “Today in Agriculture” section is showing as its latest item one that’s dated July 2. That might tell you something.
A coalition of groups, including the NCGA, has sent the Senate a letter asking them to get the job done.
The groups ranged from farm commodity groups such as NCGA to conservation groups, hunger relief organizations, such as School Nutrition Association, and faith-based action groups. In addition to agricultural programs, the farm bill also authorizes and funds a number of conservation and nutrition programs.“While our organizations have differences on specific policy recommendations,” the letter noted, “we believe it is vitally important that the Senate Agriculture Committee mark up and pass a 2007 Farm Bill as soon as possible.”
In urging Senators to block a vote on the bill, Sen. Pete Domenici of New Mexico, the ranking Republican on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, argued: “This is not a good bill, but it can be turned into a great bill.”
At last week’s National Association of Farm Broadcasting convention, NCGA President Ron Litterer did a 
Conner also has major problems with the lack of change in payment limitations. “I will just tell you simply that the administration and I do not understand the unwillingness to take wealthy investors who are simply among the wealthiest of Americans, the top 2 percent of tax-filers in all of our country, off of direct government subsidies. We just simply can’t understand that unwillingness.”
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