Democrats Weigh in with Farm Bill Proposals

September 21

The Senate Democratic Policy Committee has proposed farm and rural policies that call for a counter cyclical payment program for farmers and an expanded conservation program. The Democrats called for a program that would avoid "adding more years or more dollars to a fundamentally flawed farm program" such as the 1996 farm law.

"Senate Democrats believe that it is not enough to simply reauthorize or make small modifications" to the current farm law, the DPC said. "Congress needs to ensure that policies will be in the best interest of all rural Americans and that family farmers and ranchers can compete and survive - not just for the next few years - but for generations to come."

In addition to a counter cyclical program and more conservation acreage, the Democrats proposed "fair and competitive international and domestic markets; and rural community economic revitalization."

The committee's statement said it is important to ensure farm income stabilization, and federal farm programs "should help more in poor years and less in good years - while minimizing market distortions."

Democrats want to provide "increased support for removing sensitive land from agricultural production and incentives for continuing and adopting new conservation practices on land in production. Our priorities include providing increased resources for and access to conservation technical assistance for farmers and ranchers who wish to adopt proven and innovative practices. In addition, we support expanding opportunities for private landowners, voluntarily, to maximize environmental and conservation practices on forested lands."

There also should be "additional resources for market promotion and development to assist U.S. agricultural producers and exporters to better compete in world markets," the proposal said. "Democrats also believe that we should ensure the proper functioning of domestic markets to maximize consumer choice in food purchases, farmer opportunities in marketing products, and meaningful price competition."

The committee also called for provisions to address the impact of rapid consolidation in agriculture and "to check anti-competitive behavior that harms family farmers and the rural communities in which they live."

Economic revitalization is a "key component to a vibrant rural America. Our goal is to ensure that rural business, housing and infrastructure initiatives provide the basic tools that rural communities require to promote genuine rural revitalization. "

They also proposed to "bolster systems to ensure food safety and protect plant and animal health, including threats such as bioterrorism"; facilitate the creation and expansion of cooperatives and other farmer-owned and locally-owned enterprises to add value to farm commodities and increase farm and rural income; ensure availability of credit to agricultural producers and rural communities by making credit programs for agriculture and rural communities more accessible, simpler and responsive to the needs of borrowers, and improving opportunities and prospects for success of beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers.

The statement also said Democrats want to strengthen research and extension to increase the safety and nutritional quality of foods; strengthen assistance to fight hunger in the United States and abroad; improve the effectiveness of and remove barriers to delivery of nutrition assistance to children, working families, seniors, and persons with disabilities; reduce waste of food and increase gleaning and use of surplus food through support for food acquisition, processing, storage and distribution, and increase U.S. foreign food assistance to meet humanitarian needs - including supplying food in connection with education in developing countries - and continue to develop the potential for long-term markets for commercial exports of U.S. agricultural products.