Specialty crop producers await Senate action on farm bill
Specialty crop producers await Senate action on farm bill
WASHINGTON -- With the Senate yet to mark up a farm bill, the resignation of the secretary of agriculture and President Bush threatening a veto, new funding for specialty crop programs in a 2007 farm bill remains uncertain.
Reaction was mixed on the timing of former Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns' departure for the Senate seat in Nebraska vacated by retiring Republican Chuck Hagel.
"Secretary Johanns has been a powerful advocate for farming in this country and for farm bill reform," said California Department of Food & Agriculture Secretary A.G. Kawamura. "He has been a tremendous friend to California during our multitude of weather disasters and invasive pest emergencies."
But some members of Congress complained about the timing of the secretary's departure while the Senate continues delicate negotiations on the funding mechanism of the Senate version of the farm bill.
At a Sept. 24 press conference, newly named acting Agriculture Secretary Chuck Conner reiterated the administration's commitment to specialty crop funding in the latest farm bill.
During the farm bill listening sessions across the country, USDA heard producers say they wanted "higher priority placed on purchasing fruits and vegetables, that they wanted research dollars, they wanted help with their export promotion program, and they wanted a lot of help in terms of plant, pest diseases and those types of challenges they face," Mr. Conner said.
"Based upon that, we were able to come up with over $4 billion of help spread over those four priority areas," he said. "Hopefully [the Senate] will do it in a way that results in certainty that the funding be available for those priorities."
Mr. Conner, who has played a major role in this year's farm bill negotiations as deputy administrator, said that Congress will need to make "difficult policy choices" to raise the revenue to pay for the farm bill. "That's how you're going to have the funding to ensure that you've got $4 billion of additional help for specialty crops for example."
President Bush has threatened to veto the House version of the farm bill because it pays for the changes through a controversial tax increase. While the Senate Finance Committee is circulating a plan to raise funds through tax credits, the newly named agriculture secretary said that tax credits would not raise enough revenue to pay for new farm policies.
In the meantime, all eyes are on Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA), chairman of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry Committee, and members of the Senate Finance Committee, who are working on ways to pay for the farm bill. Without additional funding, the Senate is unlikely to finance expanded programs for specialty crops.
Specialty crop producers sent a letter -- signed by 36 senators -- to both committees asking for the Senate to pass a farm bill with double the amount of money for specialty crop programs. The House approved $1.6 billion, but the coalition of specialty crop producers is looking for $3.2 billion from the Senate.
"I think that with the 36 senators that signed that letter, what they ask is not beyond reason," Sen. Harkin said at a press conference. "We will do more for specialty crops. We may not be able to do everything they have asked, but we will do more."
The Iowa senator said he hoped that the farm bill could be acted on before the Columbus Day recess. "If I detect that we don't have a sufficient number of members on board, we may push it back," he warned.
Another group of senators has sent a letter to Senate committee leaders asking that the farm bill include the House-approved country-of-origin- labeling provision in the Senate.
"Incorporating COOL into the farm bill is crucial to delivering national agriculture and nutrition legislation that truly benefits both our nation's consumers and producers," said Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND).
On the food-safety front, Sen. Harkin introduced his bill Sept. 20 that would require the FDA to establish national food safety standards tailored to specific commodities and the risk factors in the environments where each is grown.
The Fresh Produce Safety Act of 2007 would step up inspections of operations that grow and process fresh produce, create a surveillance system to identify the sources of fresh produce contamination, and develop a research program to better identify, mitigate and prevent contamination of produce.
Reaction was mixed on the timing of former Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns' departure for the Senate seat in Nebraska vacated by retiring Republican Chuck Hagel.
"Secretary Johanns has been a powerful advocate for farming in this country and for farm bill reform," said California Department of Food & Agriculture Secretary A.G. Kawamura. "He has been a tremendous friend to California during our multitude of weather disasters and invasive pest emergencies."
But some members of Congress complained about the timing of the secretary's departure while the Senate continues delicate negotiations on the funding mechanism of the Senate version of the farm bill.
At a Sept. 24 press conference, newly named acting Agriculture Secretary Chuck Conner reiterated the administration's commitment to specialty crop funding in the latest farm bill.
During the farm bill listening sessions across the country, USDA heard producers say they wanted "higher priority placed on purchasing fruits and vegetables, that they wanted research dollars, they wanted help with their export promotion program, and they wanted a lot of help in terms of plant, pest diseases and those types of challenges they face," Mr. Conner said.
"Based upon that, we were able to come up with over $4 billion of help spread over those four priority areas," he said. "Hopefully [the Senate] will do it in a way that results in certainty that the funding be available for those priorities."
Mr. Conner, who has played a major role in this year's farm bill negotiations as deputy administrator, said that Congress will need to make "difficult policy choices" to raise the revenue to pay for the farm bill. "That's how you're going to have the funding to ensure that you've got $4 billion of additional help for specialty crops for example."
President Bush has threatened to veto the House version of the farm bill because it pays for the changes through a controversial tax increase. While the Senate Finance Committee is circulating a plan to raise funds through tax credits, the newly named agriculture secretary said that tax credits would not raise enough revenue to pay for new farm policies.
In the meantime, all eyes are on Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA), chairman of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry Committee, and members of the Senate Finance Committee, who are working on ways to pay for the farm bill. Without additional funding, the Senate is unlikely to finance expanded programs for specialty crops.
Specialty crop producers sent a letter -- signed by 36 senators -- to both committees asking for the Senate to pass a farm bill with double the amount of money for specialty crop programs. The House approved $1.6 billion, but the coalition of specialty crop producers is looking for $3.2 billion from the Senate.
"I think that with the 36 senators that signed that letter, what they ask is not beyond reason," Sen. Harkin said at a press conference. "We will do more for specialty crops. We may not be able to do everything they have asked, but we will do more."
The Iowa senator said he hoped that the farm bill could be acted on before the Columbus Day recess. "If I detect that we don't have a sufficient number of members on board, we may push it back," he warned.
Another group of senators has sent a letter to Senate committee leaders asking that the farm bill include the House-approved country-of-origin- labeling provision in the Senate.
"Incorporating COOL into the farm bill is crucial to delivering national agriculture and nutrition legislation that truly benefits both our nation's consumers and producers," said Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND).
On the food-safety front, Sen. Harkin introduced his bill Sept. 20 that would require the FDA to establish national food safety standards tailored to specific commodities and the risk factors in the environments where each is grown.
The Fresh Produce Safety Act of 2007 would step up inspections of operations that grow and process fresh produce, create a surveillance system to identify the sources of fresh produce contamination, and develop a research program to better identify, mitigate and prevent contamination of produce.
