No farm bill leaves uncertainty for farmers

Congress adjourned until after the November elections without action on a new farm bill. That presents farmers with a great deal of uncertainty moving forward. University of Missouri Extension agricultural economist Scott Brown says that after many months of negotiations and listening sessions, Congress failed to advance new farm policy.

 

“The Senate did end up passing a farm bill from the floor and although the House did pass a bill out of committee it never reached the House floor, which is the next step in the process,” Brown said. “So with Congress not back in session until after the election, we’re in a situation where we are not going to know very much until the lame-duck session, and guessing what will happen during that session at this point is pretty tough.”

 

Brown says that the outcome of the election may indicate what option Congress will pursue in regard to the farm bill in the lame-duck session.

 

“If the Republicans were to take control of both the House and Senate, I certainly think that is a situation where it could be more apt to see a short-term extension and the Republicans restarting the farm bill process going into 2013,” Brown said. “If control of the two chambers remains split, then I think we might see them work hard in lame duck to get a farm bill done.”

 

However, finishing a farm bill will still prove to be extremely difficult. Congress was unable to do so during the past two years, and during the lame duck it will only have four weeks. Brown says the commodity titles that came from the Senate floor and through the House Agriculture Committee are not all that different and he doesn’t expect it to be that large of an issue to compromise on. Cuts in nutrition may be where a struggle will ensue, as the Senate wanted fewer cuts than many of the more conservative members of the House are asking for.

 

So far, much of the discussion about the farm bill in the House of Representatives has centered on funding cuts, deficit reduction and tax policy rather than the actual components of a comprehensive farm policy bill.

 

“There is certainly a lot of difference of opinion when you look at the House side in terms of how far cuts need to go, and I think that’s why they’re so held up at this point in time,” Brown said. “They have to come back following the election and talk about some type of either extension or a new farm bill.”

 

If Congress is unable to take some action, farm policy could revert back to 1949 permanent law. Brown says that the end of the year is critical for either an extension or a farm bill; otherwise, some features of permanent law could start kicking in. He says that implementing permanent law would be a huge undertaking for USDA and he thinks it is still highly unlikely to happen.

 

“If you think you can take 1949 law and apply it in 2012 without some issues, then you haven’t thought very carefully about how agriculture has changed over the last several decades,” Brown said.

 

The cost of a farm bill looking ahead is a concern for Brown. If a short-term extension is passed and the farm bill is reopened in 2013, it will start with a new budget developed by the Congressional Budget Office.

 

“When I look at what I expect to see there, it is probably less money in the baseline,” Brown said. “We’re already talking about needing to make cuts. The cuts could seem much deeper because of a different baseline. So this notion that we could extend current law, roll into 2013 and pick up where we left off may not hold if the new baseline against which we’re going to measure things has changed a lot.”

McCaskill Part of Bipartisan Effort to Restore Critical Resources for Dairy Farmers

While the U.S. House of Representatives continues to delay any action on the bipartisan Farm Bill passed by the Senate, U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill is calling for the renewal of a key support system for Missouri’s dairy farmers.

In a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Speaker of the House John Boehner, McCaskill—along with twenty other members of Congress—is asking the leaders to find the necessary resources to restore the Milk Income Loss Contract (MILC), which provides a safety net to dairy farmers during times of low milk prices and high input costs.

“Dairy farmers across the country have benefited from the MILC program during difficult times, and we fear that failure to maintain the program at its previous levels will saddle dairy farmers with significant risks as their feed prices continue to skyrocket,” the Senators and Representatives wrote. “We stand ready to work with you to address this critical issue for our nation’s dairy farmers.”

With the nation’s farmers still reeling from this summer’s drought, input costs are rising while milk prices drop. MILC previously provided 45 percent of the difference between the target price and the actual price, but in early September this was cut to 34 percent of this difference – resulting in a significant loss of income for producers across Missouri.

New programs to support dairy farmers are included in the bipartisan Farm Bill passed by the Senate in June.  However, the leadership in the House of Representatives has refused to allow a vote on the bill. McCaskill has championed the new dairy programs included in the Senate Farm Bill, and has repeatedly called on the House to support our struggling dairy farmers by passing this bill.

McCaskill has made fighting for Missouri’s farmers and ranchers a top priority, writing to President Obama and Senate leaders in August seeking additional emergency aid for Missouri’s agriculture community. In addition to providing important new protections for struggling dairy farmers, the bipartisan Farm Bill she helped to pass would reauthorize essential livestock disaster assistance programs, support agriculture jobs, strengthen resources for family farms and ranches, and reduce the national deficit by more than $23 billion.

Cut to the Chase -- Politics, the Farm Bill and Your Next Meal

By Ben LaCross

Parched and burnt cornfields, hayfields as yellow as the sun and chalky, dry soil are images we’ve seen from the record-setting drought of 2012. The farm bill is supposed to be the safety net for agriculture, especially in catastrophic disaster years such as this. But alas, chances of passing a new farm bill, which is set to expire on Sept. 30, are wilting as fast as a Midwestern cornstalk.

Now, only a handful of days remains on the legislative calendar before the election.

The farm bill was growing strong and steady through June. The Senate, under the leadership of Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and Ranking Member Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), passed a strong, bipartisan bill. This bill showed real promise of reform and savings. The bill cut out the direct payment program, an antiquated system of risk management for farmers. Crop insurance was strengthened and expanded, ensuring that farmers would have to have “skin in the game” for their risk management needs.

The nutrition title, which makes up well over 80 percent of all farm bill spending, was also reformed. The days of lottery winners who still receive food stamps would be gone. Conservation would be strengthened, allowing farmers to partner with the federal government to grow their environmental stewardship.

Agriculture understands the importance of being fiscally responsible. Farmers are ready to do their part to reduce the national deficit. In fact, this bill would have saved taxpayers more than $23 billion, compared to previous farm bills.

The bipartisan House Agriculture Committee-passed bill, crafted by Chairman Frank Lucas (R-Okla.) and Ranking Member Collin Peterson (D-Minn.), would have saved taxpayers even more. But, like the fields that never benefited from timely rains to save their crops, House leadership dealt what could amount to a drought-like blow by not bringing up the farm bill for a timely vote.

Due to that lack of political urgency, farmers are now facing another potential disaster. This time, though, we can’t blame Mother Nature. This catastrophe is man-made.

The Senate-passed farm bill contained provisions to expand crop insurance to help farmers manage risk when weather catastrophes are out of our control. Much of the proposed legislation would help farmers who’ve been affected by this year’s drought, as well. Yet the House still has not scheduled a vote on this bill.

Farmers certainly aren’t the only people affected by the delayed passage of the farm bill. Twenty-three million people—one in every 12 working Americans—work in agriculture. Agriculture expands foreign trade and is the only industry with a positive balance of trade.

Think, also, of the millions of schoolchildren and families in need that this bill helps to feed. Last year, the Agriculture Department reported that one in six Americans were “food insecure.” At one point or another last year, these folks weren’t sure where their next meal would come from. If it weren’t for the farm bill’s nutrition programs, many more might struggle to eat.

The drought and other natural disasters may have done damage beyond repair to this year’s harvests, but the House could still breathe life back into this bill. It’s not too late.

Congress, it’s time to pass this farm bill now.

(Ben LaCross is a fruit grower in northern Michigan. He is a member of the Michigan Farm Bureau board of directors and is immediate past chairman of the AFBF Young Farmers & Ranchers Committee).

McCaskill Receives Farming Group Honor for Leadership in Protecting Rural Missouri

A national farming group this week honored U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill for her ongoing fight to protect farmers, ranchers, and rural communities.

McCaskill was honored at the Golden Triangle Award Ceremony for the National Farmers Union, where she accepted the group’s highest legislative honor awarded to sitting members of Congress in recognition of her leadership working on behalf of Missouri’s rural communities.

“Our farmers and ranchers are a critical part of Missouri’s economy, and I’m proud to fight for their interests,” said McCaskill, who was born in Rolla. “I plan to continue my fight to promote and protect our rural heartland.”

The Golden Triangle Award is presented by the National Farmers Union to members of Congress “in recognition of outstanding leadership on issues affecting family farmers and rural America.”

McCaskill has made fighting for Missouri’s farmers and ranchers a top priority, especially during this summer’s period of drought and hardship in Missouri. She wrote to President Obama and Senate leaders in August seeking additional emergency aid for Missouri’s agriculture community, and helped to pass a bipartisan Farm Bill in the Senate to reauthorize essential livestock disaster assistance programs, support agriculture jobs, strengthen resources for family farms and ranches, and reduce the national deficit by more than $23 billion.

McCaskill recently received a letter of support from Missouri’s top sportsman’s groups for her leadership on the Farm Bill, which continues to be held up by House Republicans.

McCaskill Presses for Further Drought Aid for Missouri

As Missouri faces worsening drought conditions, U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill is leading two separate efforts to continue aiding the state’s farmers and ranchers.

“With little relief in sight, Missouri’s agricultural community needs access to every possible resource during this difficult time,” said McCaskill, who was born in Rolla. “We’ve got to act immediately to renew essential disaster assistance programs. I’m also calling on the President to marshal the full resources of the federal government to address the worsening conditions across rural America.”

In a letter to the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, McCaskill called for their support in swiftly reauthorizing several disaster assistance programs that expired at the end of 2011. These programs, essential for livestock producers in Missouri, are reauthorized in the Farm Bill passed by the Senate in July. Citing the U.S. House of Representatives’ failure to act in passing either the bipartisan Senate Farm Bill or their own version, McCaskill wrote, “opportunities to fund these programs this year are slipping away….without these key disaster relief programs, farmers and ranchers suffering from this drought… are left with few options.”

Additionally, McCaskill called on the President to convene an Interagency Drought Task Force to bring together all agencies of government that have responsibilities related to agriculture, public lands, energy, water, public health and emergency response to report as soon as possible on the severity of the drought, expected impacts on the economy, and availability of options under current law to address these conditions. McCaskill asked that the task force offer fiscally-responsible recommendations for Congressional action to further assist those impacted by the drought.

After abandoning efforts to pass the Farm Bill, leaders in the U.S. House proposed a rushed and severely flawed short-term extension of farm programs, only to quickly withdraw the bill in the face of overwhelming opposition, including opposition from nearly every major agriculture organization. Although leaders in the House have now moved to consider stand-alone legislation to reauthorize only disaster assistance programs, they have sought to pay for the legislation by cutting other farm programs that have broad support from agriculture groups, further jeopardizing disaster assistance for Missouri’s farmers and ranchers at a time of crisis.

McCaskill helped pass the Farm Bill approved by the Senate that reauthorizes these essential livestock disaster assistance programs, supports agriculture jobs, strengthens resources for family farms and ranches, and reduces the national deficit by more than $23 billion. The House has failed to act on the broadly bipartisan Senate passed measure, which both McCaskill and Senator Roy Blunt supported, for more than a month, worsening an already desperate situation for those suffering from the disaster drought conditions across Missouri.

McCaskill also launched an online resource center last week on her website to provide a place Missourians can go for information ranging from U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency office locations across the state, to a drought monitoring map updated weekly. Additionally, the page offers a direct link for farmers and ranchers to apply for water supply assistance through the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. The drought online resource center is available on McCaskill’s website, HERE.

McCaskill to US House -- Get Off the Sidelines on Farm Bill

U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill, who helped lead the successful effort to pass the Senate’s bipartisan Farm Bill in June, released the following statement amid reports that the U.S. House of Representatives may abandon efforts to pass the Farm Bill, leaving farmers, ranchers, and rural communities in limbo for the rest of the summer:

“I have a simple message for members of the U.S. House: get off the sidelines and pass this Farm Bill. It’s been more than a month since the Senate came together to pass a bipartisan bill, crucial to jobs and the livelihoods of our rural families and businesses, and there’s just no excuse for the House’s failure to act. While I clearly support an extension of disaster assistance for our livestock producers, it’s past time for these politicians to put their differences aside and work together to ensure our farmers and ranchers have the certainty they need as they face the worst drought in a half-century.”

According to press reports today, the U.S. House is abandoning efforts to pass the Farm Bill, or even an extension of current farm programs. Instead, House leadership is considering extending only some disaster assistance programs—a move that, while necessary to make resources available during the drought, would still leave farmers and ranchers across the country in limbo. Reportedly, House members will also seek to pay for the disaster assistance programs by cutting other farm programs that have broad support from agriculture groups, signaling certain opposition to the disaster relief measures.

The Farm Bill approved by the Senate reauthorizes essential livestock disaster assistance programs, supports agriculture jobs, strengthens resources for family farms and ranches, and reduces the national deficit by more than $23 billion.  The Farm Bill—approved with a strong bipartisan vote of 64-35—also provides crucial resources that allow Missouri’s crop producers to manage risk and new programs that help Missouri’s dairy farmers to cope with high costs.

The Farm Bill  is one example of several pieces of legislation important to American jobs that passed with strong bipartisan support in the Senate, only to languish in the U.S. House—including Postal Service reform legislation, which continues to be delayed even as the Postal Service defaults on payments to fund retiree health benefits, as well as the Highway Jobs Bill earlier this year.

McCaskill also launched an online resource center last week on her website to provide a place Missourians can go for information ranging from U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency office locations across the state, to a drought monitoring map updated weekly. Additionally, the page offers a direct link for farmers and ranchers to apply for water supply assistance through the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.    

The drought online resource center is available on McCaskill’s website, HERE.

Citing Danger to Vital Service and American Jobs, McCaskill Slams U.S. House for Postal Reform Delay

U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill, who successfully passed legislation in the Senate to protect rural communities in Missouri from losing their post offices, released the following statement as the U.S. House of Representatives’ three month-long delay on the legislation resulted in the Postal Service’s first-ever default:

“There’s just no excuse for members of the House to play politics with thousands of American jobs, as well as a vital service relied upon by our rural communities. In the Senate, we worked across party lines, forged a common ground, and passed a bipartisan postal reform bill months ago, and while the House lets it sit and gather dust, Missouri jobs and business opportunities hang in the balance. I again call on the U.S. House to get off the sidelines and act.”

The U.S. Postal Service announced plans last year to close thousands of post offices across the country—most from rural communities—as part of a larger cost-savings package. McCaskill waged a year-long battle against the closures, arguing that shutting down small town post offices would not help the Postal Service achieve substantial cost-savings, but would deal significant blows to communities across rural America.

After McCaskill helped win a temporary moratorium on closures, she successfully secured inclusion of her amendment protecting rural post offices to the postal reform legislation being considered by the Senate.With McCaskill’s support, this bipartisan reform legislation was passed by the Senate in April. In addition to protecting rural communities from losing their post offices, the legislation implements major cost-saving reforms, including addressing the Postal Service’s pre-funding requirement for retiree benefits. The legislation also preserves six-day delivery and maintains overnight delivery standards—provisions which will help prevent the closure of many mail processing facilities, likely including the facilities in Springfield and Cape Girardeau, Mo.

As a result of McCaskill’s efforts, the U.S. Postal Service reversed course and announced that it no longer intends to close down rural post offices.

The postal reform legislation is one example of several pieces of legislation crucial to American jobs that passed with strong bipartisan support in the Senate, only to languish in the U.S. House—including the Farm Bill, which continues to be delayed even during a severe drought, and the Highway Jobs Bill.

Cut to the Chase -- Not your Father's Farm Bill

Not Your Father’s Farm Bill
By Tracy Taylor Grondine
Farm bill legislation approved by the Senate and awaiting debate in the House of Representatives is not your father’s typical farm bill. It’s about the future. Passing through the Senate last week, the Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act (S. 3240) recognizes that U.S. farmers are aging and something needs to be done to ensure that the future of agriculture is viable. The Senate's version includes significant measures to address this demographic predicament.
According to the Agriculture Department’s most recent census, the average age of the American farmer is 57 years old. Further, a quarter of American farmers are 65 or older. The future of American agriculture depends on the next generation of farmers and ranchers. More than any previous farm bill, this one takes direct aim at providing retiring farmers extra benefits for passing their farms on to beginning farmers.
Probably most importantly, the bill provides nearly $200 million in new funding for expanded access for crop insurance for beginning farmers. These improvements will lower the cost of crop insurance for beginning farmers, allow the Risk Management Agency to consider a beginning farmer’s previous experience in calculating their production history, and will provide additional assistance when beginning farmers face natural disasters.
Farmers like Michigan fruit producer and Farm Bureau member Ben LaCross understand the importance of this provision first hand. In a normal year, his farm produces 4 million pounds of cherries. Due to extremely bad weather conditions, this year he’ll be lucky to harvest 40,000 pounds – only 1 percent of his normal production. This level of losses is tough on any producer, but especially catastrophic for a beginning farmer who is still trying to build up equity. If S. 3240 were in existence today, Ben and others like him would have the opportunity to cover more of their crops under crop insurance, using new programs that would provide better coverage at a lower cost.
In other areas, the bill continues the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program, which offers education, training, outreach and mentoring programs to ensure the success of the next generation of farmers. It also increases access to capital and prioritizes the needs of beginning farmers to ensure they have access to programs like the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, a program that is critical to farmers and ranchers striving to be good stewards of the land and trying to meet tough environmental mandates.
The bill makes significant strides in increasing lending to beginning farmers by expanding eligibility, removing term limits on guaranteed lending and providing opportunities for beginning farmers to earn direct loan access. For the first time, USDA will have the ability to create pilot programs in the Farm Loan Programs exclusively targeted to beginning farmers.
Finally, the farm bill legislation encourages older farmers to help beginning farmers get started by providing two extra years of Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) participation to retiring farmers who transition their expiring CRP land to beginning farmers.
Unlike past farm bills, this one is about the future. It’s about farmers like Ben LaCross and the many other young and beginning farmers and ranchers who want to one day pass their farms to their own children.
(Tracy Taylor Grondine is director of media relations for the American Farm Bureau Federation.)

Claire McCaskill -- New Safeguards in Farm Bill Against Unreasonable Regulations

After waging a successful battle against unreasonable proposals to regulate farm dust and teenagers who work on family farms and ranches, U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill today moved to amend the Farm Bill to include strong new safeguards against any future attempts at unnecessary and burdensome federal rules on farmers and ranchers.

McCaskill, who was born and raised in small town Missouri, introduced an amendment to the Farm Bill that would dramatically strengthen the authority of a farm policy advisory position at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)—a position that currently exists, but that is not required by law. McCaskill’s measure would establish a framework in which that official would serve as an important check against new unnecessary federal regulations that would negatively impact agriculture.

“We can keep batting down each unreasonable or unneeded regulation on our farms and ranches like a game of whack-a-mole, or we can tackle the root issue head on—that farmers and ranchers need a seat at the table when these decisions are made,” McCaskill said. “That’s exactly the gap my plan would bridge—by making sure the EPA has an in-house agriculture advisor at all times, and giving that position real authority. That way, before any new rule can be issued that will affect the jobs and livelihoods of farming families across rural America, whoever thinks the rule is a good idea would be forced to hear—and respond to—some common sense from folks who know the business of agriculture.”

McCaskill’s amendment would require the EPA’s Chief Agriculture Counsel to weigh in on behalf of farmers and ranchers on any proposed new regulations that would have a significant impact on agriculture, and would require the EPA Administrator to issue a written response to any concerns raised by the advisor. McCaskill also introduced a separate amendment today, along with Sen. Amy Klobochar (D-Minn.), which would allow the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture to appoint farmers or ranchers to the EPA’s Science Advisory Board, doubling the number of members with a background in agriculture serving on the Board.

The Farm Bill currently being debated in the Senate would protect agriculture jobs and reduce the national deficit by $23 billion by streamlining and consolidating federal programs and ending unnecessary farm subsidies, while preserving important resources for farm and ranch families and strengthening the crop insurance program—issues which are critical to the livelihoods of Missouri’s farmers and ranchers.

McCaskill also renewed her support today for two other proposals that would bar the federal government from issuing future rules regulating farm dust and limit the ability of teenagers to work on family farms and ranches. McCaskill is also supporting an amendment to prohibit the EPA from requiring duplicative permits for pesticide use.

A copy of McCaskill’s amendment to boost the authority of the EPA’s farm policy advisor is available on her website HERE.

McCaskill Takes Another Step to Protect Jobs, Resources for Missouri Farmers, Ranchers

U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill today continued her fight to ensure Farm Service Agency offices remain accessible for Missouri’s farmers and ranchers.

The Farm Bill being currently debated in the Senate would protect agriculture jobs and reduce the national deficit by $23 billion by streamlining and consolidating federal programs and ending unnecessary farm subsidies, while preserving important resources for farm and ranch families and strengthening the crop insurance program—critical to the livelihoods of Missouri’s farmers and ranchers.  

McCaskill has introduced an amendment that would  prevent the closure of a Farm Service Agency (FSA) office unless another office is located within 20 miles driving distance.  

“The Farm Bill is another one of those opportunities to ensure that the voices of families in our small towns and rural communities are heard in Washington,” said McCaskill, who was born in Rolla, Mo. “Not everyone in Congress knows what it means to be from rural America—but as someone who does, I plan to keep up my fight to protect jobs in our ag industry, to guard against any unreasonable regulations on our farm and ranch families, and to preserve access to crucial resources that our small towns rely upon.”

Farmers and ranchers visit FSA offices for assistance with various farm programs, including payment programs, loan services, disaster programs, and conservation programs. In the 2008 Farm Bill, Congress placed limitations on the ability of the Secretary of Agriculture to close FSA offices limiting closures to those offices within 20 miles of another FSA office to avoid placing unreasonable travel burdens on farmers and ranchers.

However, that legislation did not specify that the twenty mile requirement refers to driving distance, as opposed to distance measured in a straight line. Ignoring the clear intent of the 2008 bill, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is attempting to abuse this technicality to close down additional FSA offices in states across the country, including one in Morgan County that is a twenty-six mile drive from the next nearest office, but less than 20 miles away “as the crow flies.”

McCaskill has already been active on the Farm Bill, last week introducing an amendment ensuring that a program designed to increase broadband access in rural Missouri didn’t have its resources wasted through diversions to large metropolitan areas.

A copy of McCaskill’s amendment to protect Missourians access to Farm Service Agencies is available HERE.

McCaskill: Ensure Resources for Rural Broadband Get to Rural Communities

With the Senate opening debate on the Farm Bill this week, U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill is aiming to amend the legislation to ensure resources set aside to expand broadband access in rural communities do not get diverted to projects in large metropolitan areas that already enjoy access to such services.

“Expanding broadband access in rural Missouri is necessary for growing local jobs and business, delivering health care services, and strengthening educational opportunities for our kids,” said McCaskill, who was born in Rolla, Mo. “But resources that are supposed to be used in our rural communities winding up in some of the nation’s largest metro areas makes no sense. Shining a little sunlight on how these investments are awarded will help ensure small towns in Missouri gets the job-supporting resources they’re supposed to.”

The Government Accountability Office and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Inspector General have identified continual problems with the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) broadband program awarding funds to projects close to big cities and in areas that already have broadband access.

Current law requires the USDA to focus broadband resources on areas where broadband is not currently offered, and to avoid supporting projects in areas with extensive broadband offerings.  McCaskill’s amendment would require the USDA to post information publicly online on each broadband application to allow broadband providers the opportunity to submit information about their service areas that may overlap with proposed projects. The amendment would also require the USDA to consult the Commerce Department’s National Broadband Map to gather information on current broadband services.   

The Farm Bill being debated in the Senate would reduce the national deficit by $23 billion by streamlining and consolidating programs and ending unnecessary farm subsidies, while strengthening the crop insurance program—critical to the livelihoods of Missouri’s farmers and ranchers.

A copy of McCaskill’s amendment is available on her website, HERE.