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Senate passes 2012 Farm Bill in bipartisan vote, 64-35

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Ohio Senators: Brown, a ‘yea,’ Portman, a ‘nay’

NFU supportive, process moves to a dysfunctional House

The 2012 version of the Farm Bill which delivers $23 billion in deficit reduction and moves the agricultural safety net away from direct payments and toward a beefed up crop insurance program as two of its major features passed the U.S. Senate today by a vote of 64-35.

Sen. Sherrod Brown, (D-OH), voted for the measure. Sen. Rob Portman, (R-OH), voted against the bill.

“The bipartisan, Senate-passed farm bill is the most significant reform of U.S. agriculture in decades – saving taxpayers $23 billion while investing in Ohio’s number one industry,” Brown said.

“This farm bill is forward thinking, yet realistic. The centerpiece of the bill’s deficit reduction efforts is based on a bill I authored with my colleague, Sen. (John) Thune, (R-SD) that would end the era of paying farmers for crops that they don’t grow and replace direct payments with market-based supports that’s more responsive to farmers and taxpayers. This farm bill is a jobs and innovation bill, an economic relief and development bill, and it affects every American every day,” added Brown, the first Ohioan to serve on the Senate Agriculture Committee in 40 years.

The National Farmers Union issued two statements today – one urging passage of the bill and one congratulating senators on the achievement after its passage. NFU President Roger Johnson said he’s pleased with many of the provisions in the Senate bill such as mandatory funding for renewable energy programs. Although supportive of the bill’s move away from direct payments to support agriculture in the U.S., Johnson remains concerned about long-term price declines.

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NFU supports investment in Farm Bill energy programs

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WASHINGTON  – National Farmers Union supports the Rural Energy Investment Act of 2012, introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives today by Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio. The bill would reauthorize the most critical farm bill energy programs that are currently set to expire Sept. 30. The bill’s original co-sponsors include Bruce Braley, D-Iowa, Tim Walz, D-Minn., Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., Leonard Boswell, D-Iowa, Marcia Fudge, D-Ohio, Michael Michaud, D-Maine, Laura Richardson, D-Calif., Barbara Lee, D-Calif., Dave Loebsack, D-Iowa, Donna Christensen, D-Va., Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, G.K. Butterfield, D-N.C., Ben Lujan, D-N.M., Maurice Hinchey, D-N.Y., Ron Kind, D-Wis., and Chellie Pingree, D-Maine.

“Energy programs are a critical part of spurring rural economic development, creating many jobs in rural America and giving farmers and ranchers an additional income stream that helps them to stay on their land,” said NFU President Roger Johnson. “These energy programs are also critical in helping the United States become more energy independent and utilize cellulosic and advanced biofuels grown right here at home.”

The bill would strengthen and simplify renewable energy programs, including the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) and the Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP). According to USDA, REAP created or saved 15,000 jobs over the past nine years.

“These forward-looking and unique programs are successfully leveraging private capital and paving the way for farm-based renewable energy,” said Johnson. “Programs such as REAP, BCAP, the Biorefinery Assistance Program and the Biobased Markets Program are helping to commercialize the next generation of biofuels as they provide critical investment in our rural economies. We urge Congress to pass this bill as quickly as possible.”

 

Senate Farm Bill Floor Debate Could Take 2 Weeks

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Legislative staffers for the National Farmers Union are watching the U.S. Senate closely over the next two weeks as the upper chamber takes up floor consideration of the 2012 Farm Bill.

The Farm Bill passed through the Senate Ag Committee in April and it passed a full Senate vote on whether to consider the massive bill on the floor with broad bi-partisan support late last week, 90-8.

NFU reports that senators may have as many as 300 floor amendments to offer on the bill, but that through behind the scenes negotiation the package of amendments will probably be cut down to 40 or less.

NFU President Roger Johnson recently lead a coalition of more than 125 food and consumer groups in calling for the Senate to quickly pass the 2012 Farm Bill – citing the fact that many current programs are expiring or are in danger of expiring.

“This strongly bipartisan bill ensures that agriculture does its part to reduce the deficit, cutting spending by $23 billion, while still maintaining a safety net that family farmers and ranchers need,” Johnson said.

“Some farm bill programs have already expired, and the rest expire on Sept. 30. It is critical to pass a farm bill as soon as possible so that Americans have the agriculture, conservation, environmental, forestry, hunger, and rural development programs that they need. While many of us will continue to work for improvements in the bill, we all agree that we need a farm bill this year,” Johnson said.

Most media reports of the Farm Bill’s move through the Senate have been focusing on the shift away from direct payments to farmers in favor of a larger crop insurance program. Farmers would be able to insure against poor yields and declines in prices as well as environmental calamity. Another hot topic is cuts to the food stamp program.

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Ohio Farmers Union & others urge Senate to add ‘Packer Ban’ to 2012 Farm Bill

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The Ohio Farmers Union and other family farming boosters are urging Congress once again to look out for smaller producers in the nation’s meat production system.

At issue is a proposed amendment to the 2012 Farm Bill, set to move to the floor of the U.S. Senate next week, which would ban meat packers from owning the livestock they process for more than fourteen days. OFU signed on to a letter sent to Senate agricultural staffers and senators laying out the case for the so-called “Packer Ban.”

Sponsored by Food and Water Watch, the letter was signed onto by OFU and 107 other organizations nationwide.

From the letter:

Mega-meatpackers such as Tyson, Cargill, JBS and Smithfield Foods use packer-owned livestock as a major tool for exerting unfair market power over farmers and ranchers. This practice fosters industrial livestock production and freezes independent farmers out of the markets. Packer ownership of livestock has been proven to artificially lower farmgate prices to farmers and ranchers while consumer food prices continue to rise.

By prohibiting direct ownership of livestock by major meatpackers, a ban on packer ownership would reduce the anticompetitive effects of captive supplies, which packers use to manipulate markets, and would help increase market access for America’s independent producers who currently experience significant market-access restrictions due in large part to packer ownership of livestock.

NFU joins coalition calling for ‘robust’ funding for energy title in Farm Bill

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NFU joined a coalition of organizations in support of testimony presented by Agriculture Energy Coalition Co-Director Ryan Stroschein to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture Subcommittee on Conservation, Energy, and Forestry. In the testimony, the coalition called on Congress to ensure robust funding for the 2012 Farm Bill Energy Title.

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