MN Farmers Urge President to Sign 2008 Farm Bill

Conference Committee Bill Includes Building Blocks for Better
Farm & Food Policy, Yet Lacks Major Reforms

CONTACT: Adam Warthesen, Land Stewardship Project (LSP), 612-722-6377
Bill Gorman, farmer and LSP member, 651-258-4127

PHOTO AVAILABLE: For a digital photo of Bill Gorman, e-mail adamw@landstewardshipproject.org

5/2/08
GOODHUE, Minn. —Early this morning, members of the Congressional Farm Bill conference committee agreed on a nearly $300 billion 2008 Farm Bill, of which two-thirds is directed to food assistance programs.  While a final price tag and other details will be finalized early next week, the bill, if passed by Congress and signed by President Bush, would establish U.S. food and farm policy for the next five years. 

Many farm and rural organizations, including the Land Stewardship Project (LSP), an upper Midwest sustainable agriculture organization, are criticizing Congress for making only minor changes to the failed and unjust Commodity Title, and taking almost no action at all to stem corporate consolidation of our nation’s farm and food system. 

Yet, LSP also recognizes advances made in the bill that could serve as the foundation for a more effective and sustainable food and farm policy. These include investments in working lands conservation, beginning farmer and rancher programs and local and regional foods systems.

“Unfortunately this bill includes some of the broken programs of the past like the multi-billion commodity programs,” said Goodhue dairy farmer Bill Gorman, an LSP Federal Farm Policy Committee member. “But there are bright spots, like the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program, the Conservation Stewardship Program, and support for local and regional food systems. These are good advances and can be the building blocks for more fundamental reforms to U.S. farm policy in the future.”

One of the provisions Gorman as an LSP Policy Committee member has worked on over the past year is the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), formerly known as the Conservation Security Program. The conference committee bill invests almost $5 billion over the next five years in CSP to help farmers maintain and increase conservation on working lands. CSP is a voluntary program and supports farmers who practice effective conservation on their farms and ranches. It also provides additional incentives for farmers to initiate new efforts that improve water quality, decrease soil erosion and establish wildlife habitat. CSP provides farmers with five- year contracts and is expected to enroll nearly 13 million acres annually. 

“CSP is the type of working lands conservation program a lot of farmers want to use,” said Gorman.  “The concept of supporting ongoing conservation and encouraging farmers to do more through the stewardship program is smart policy.  I’m glad to see a greater monetary investment in CSP, since that’s always been its limiting factor.”

Another positive gain championed by LSP and the Sustainable Agriculture Coalition is the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP), which will be launched with $75 million over the life of the new Farm Bill. The BFRDP is a competitive grants program aimed at providing support to community-based organizations and collaborative networks that provide beginning farmer and rancher education, training and mentoring. The BFRDP, combined with other beginning farmer and rancher credit and conservation incentives, make this Farm Bill one of the most comprehensive efforts to support the successful start-up of new farmers who can be part of a more sustainable food and farming system. 

U.S. Representatives Tim Walz (D-MN) and Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D-SD) introduced beginning farmer measures in the House and, with the support of House Agriculture Chair Collin Peterson (D-MN), these measures were included in the final bill.  Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), along with Senate Agriculture Chair Tom Harkin (D-IA), championed similar beginning farmer measures in the Senate.

Gorman started farming 30 years ago near Goodhue on a conventional dairy farm. Back then he was oftentimes the youngest farmer in the room, he said.

“Regrettably, in some of those same circles I’m still the youngest farmer,” he said.

During the past 15 years, Gorman has converted his operation to a grass-based, organic dairy.  He said this type of agriculture has attracted a whole new generation of young people who are interested in farming.

“There are opportunities in farming right now in organics, sustainable livestock and biofuels production, as well as in the growth of local and regional food systems,” said Gorman.  “Measures that support beginning farmer education and training programs are good investments.  We need people engaged in agriculture for our rural communities to prosper, for more nutritious food for our communities, and for better care of the land.”

The conference committee bill is expected to be passed by both bodies of Congress soon and be delivered to the President for final passage.  President Bush has threatened to veto the legislation and it’s unclear whether he’ll sign it into law.

“A veto at this point would be wrong, and leave our country with the continuation of our current inadequate policies,” said Gorman. “And while I’ll be the first to admit this bill doesn’t go far enough, it takes some important steps toward further needed changes. It is now the second of May; the President should sign it.”

-30-