Corn Growers Arm for Farm Bill Debate

September 28, 2001

The National Corn Growers Association is gearing up to oppose what is being called the "Kind amendment" to the House farm bill scheduled to come to the floor next week for debate. At a briefing conducted by House Agriculture Committee Chief of Staff Bill O'Connor, NCGA and other farm groups were told that the bill goes to the House Rules Committee on Tuesday with floor action scheduled for the following day.

"NCGA is closely watching - and is ready to mobilize growers - to oppose a conservation title substitute, unofficially dubbed the 'Kind' amendment, said Bruce Knight, NCGA vice president of public policy. "This amendment is shrouded in secrecy, because neither NCGA nor any other farm group has seen the details. What we do know, however, is that this amendment would divert funds from the commodity title to the conservation title."

He explained that because the Kind amendment has been heavily influenced by groups such as Environmental Defense Fund and American Rivers, "it is safe to assume that it is not in the best interests of agriculture." Earlier this week, NCGA and several other ag organizations sent a letter to all members of the House of Representatives opposing the amendment.

"We are sending two more letters this week reiterating our opposition to Kind and our general support of the House farm bill," Knight concluded. "As developments unfold in the House, NCGA will report back to members on the status of the farm bill, and how NCGA will respond."

The amendment would come from Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI). Kind introduced a bill earlier this year called the Working Lands Stewardship Act designed to expand a number of USDA programs that provide farmers an economic incentive to use better conservation practices on their working lands.

Kind has said these programs "have proven to be a fiscally responsible way to: improve water quality by reducing sediment and nutrient runoff; preserve our nation's open spaces by acquiring developmental rights to farmland threatened by sprawl; and protect wildlife habitat by restoring wetlands, forests, and grasslands."