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Plenty of opinions offered at farm bill hearing Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Agri News staff writer
AUSTIN, Minn. -- About 40 people gathered in the basement of the Elks Lodge in Austin last week to voice their opinion on the next farm bill.
The farm bill is one of the most important pieces of legislation that Congress writes, said 1st District Rep. Tim Walz, who hosted the nearly two-hour event.
The bill includes funding for school lunch and other nutrition programs, conservation, commodity payments and rural economic development. In the 2002 farm bill, about 61 percent of the funding went to nutrition programs, he said. Commodity payments made up 16 percent, conservation, 4.8 percent, and rural development, 1.97 percent.
"When we create a budget document, we are impacting people's lives in a very real way." Walz said. It is a moral document because it reflects the nation's values.
It's an urban myth that billions of dollars from the farm bill go to super wealthy people, he said.
The challenge is to get the farm bill right, Walz said, while living within the means of the budget. It must provide a way to keep farmers economically viable and small towns healthy.
Several people at the meeting offered suggestions for making the bill better.
Stephen Williams, who raises sweet corn in rural Austin, said the commodity program should be eliminated. He suggested using that money for conservation and alternative crop research. The United States needs to find crops that use fewer inputs and protect the land more, Williams said.
He also spoke against ethanol, saying it's a way to get rid of extra corn. It's a false hope, Williams said.
Walz said ethanol plants have captured the nation's imagination and challenged the United States to look further down the road. The current industry is only scratching the surface, he said, as the nation moves toward cellulosic ethanol.
It's important to retain local ownership of renewable energy development, said Elkton farmer Bryant Hokeness. The farm bill should provide incentives for local ownership.
Mike McGrath, a Fillmore County beef producer who also works for the Minnesota Project, told of challenges with the Conservation Security Program. McGrath has a CSP contract on his land in the Root River Watershed and made modifications in order to move up a tier.
The federal government didn't follow through on its commitment to fund those improvements.
There may also be no sign-up for CSP in 2007 or 2008. That's unacceptable for a national conservation program for working lands, McGrath said.
The CSP is the beginning of a new area, said Austin farmer Dwight Ault, but it needs to be user-friendly. Ault also encouraged Walz to push for beginning farmer incentives.
Larry Larson, who raises corn, soybeans and hogs, voiced concerns about trade if trade promotion authority isn't extended.
Trade deals have to be done, Walz said, but Congress needs to exercise oversight. Trade, while necessary, brings both good and bad.
LeRoy dairy producer Chris Sukalski touched a nerve with Walz, a parent and teacher, when she mentioned a lack of federal dollars for school milk breaks. Students whose parents haven't paid for milk must stand by while their peers have milk, she said.
Perhaps milk breaks could be handled like free and reduced meals where students are able to eat without their peers knowing their economic status, she said.
Walz said he'd find out more about school milk money and get back to her. |
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