Re: summary of farm bill?

---

• Subject: Re: summary of farm bill?
• From: "William McGuire" MCGUIW@mail.conservation.state.mo.us>
• Date: Tue, 29 May 2001 15:02:34 -0500

Apologies for not responding sooner but I spent much of last week in Washington DC and, therefore, out of touch with e-mail.  Before I explain the appended items, an update might be of interest.

The House Subcommittee (of the House Ag. Committee) on Conservation, Credit, Rural Development and Research held hearings last week to consider conservation aspects of the next Farm Bill.  In addition to other business, I attended a few of the sessions.

Both FSA and NRCS offered testimony that explained the various programs and illuminated progress.  The testimony was objective, factual and painted a positive picture of the good these programs has accomplished.

Several commodity groups (that I heard testify) also offered testimony that left me with the following perceptions:  

1.  CRP is good at the current authorized ceiling (36.4 million acres) but should not take whole farms out of production and should place emphasis on buffers rather than whole-field enrollment;

2.  EQIP has been positive but the complexity should be reduced and more money should be available, particularly for CAFO's (no matter the size) and there should be less emphasis on priority areas.

3.  WRP was a good program that has achieved its purpose - was viewed as a completed program.

4.  Sodbuster and Swampbuster were referenced as still perhaps too difficult to work with and increased mitigation was suggested to help with Swampbuster.

5.  The idea of compensation for conservation was mentioned in a positive way - as long as it does not detract from traditional government supports.

6.  No mention of WHIP, Short-term Set-Aside or the Grassland Easement Program.

However, questions from legislators on the Sub-committee provided as many insights as the testimony of the various groups.  I was left with the impression that Congress was working hard to consider conservation along with commodity issues and to deliver a bill out of committee this summer.  Of course, the Senate will have to deliberate also so the process will not be over anytime soon.

Appended you will find a matrix of conservation program priorities which a number of national conservation groups support.  There is also information on bill's that have been introduced in the House to reauthorize WRP and expand CRP.  Lastly, there is a listing of the Senate and House Ag. Committee members in case anyone wants to voice an opinion.  

Now is a good time to be heard as the Farm Bill is in the making.  Letters or phone calls are usually best (e-mail is nearly worthless) and those from constituents (within a Representtative's or Senator's district) usually get the most attention.

In my view, Farm Bill progress will be strongest (to the benefit of landowners and natural resources) with many expressing views (conservation and commodity interests) and weakest with few expressing views (particularly if one side dominates the other).

Bill

>>> andy@midiowa.net 05/23/01 09:49PM >>>
Hi Willian,

How can we support the continuation of the CRP, WRP and other conservation
programs.  Perhaps more importantly how can we indicate our desire for the
Grassland Reserve Program to be included.  This gives me great reason for
hope.  Thanks for the post.

andy@midiowa.net 

-----Original Message-----
From: William McGuire <MCGUIW@mail.conservation.state.mo.us>
To: leeprairie@austin.rr.com <leeprairie@austin.rr.com>; prairie@mallorn.com 
<prairie@mallorn.com>
Date: Monday, May 21, 2001 3:53 PM
Subject: Re: summary of farm bill?


>The House Ag. Committee wants to report a bill out of committee this summer
and is on-track to do that.  Despite an earlier desire to address only the
commodity side, the House Ag. Committee recently solicited input on
conservation issues and will hold hearings in the next week or so.
>
>That said, the Senate Ag. Committee reportedly wants to deliberate fully on
commodity and conservation and is targeting Aug. of 2002 to wrap-up the Farm
Bill.
>
>The new Farm Bill is likely to become a done-deal sometime in-between.
>
>The conservation agenda contains:  Continuation of CRP, WRP, EQIP, WHIP and
FIP we well as Swampbuster and Sodbuster; and, potential new programs
including a 'pay for conservation' program, short-term set-aside (to idle
some cropland for 3 years or so) and Grassland Reserve Program (long-term
agreement protection for prairie and other key grasslands).
>
>On a related note, bills have been introduced in the House to reauthorize
WRP and CRP.
>
>Bill
>
>>>> leeprairie@austin.rr.com 05/21/01 01:39PM >>>
>Does anyone know of a good general summary of the Farm Bill and the changes
>underway?
>
>lee stone
>Bastrop, TX
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