11/29/05 "Active farm management and gov payments

Farm and Ranch November 29, 2005 Iowa Republican Senator Chuck Grassley wants to know what USDA is doing to define active farm management. At issue is a Government Accountability Office report commissioned by Grassley, that found many receiving farm program payments aren't actively involved in farming. Federal law requires those receiving farm program payments to be actively involved in farming or farm management. Grassley says the problem is that USDA hasn't defined just exactly what active farm management is and that's why he has written Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns on the matter. Grassley: "To make sure that people that are benefitting from the farm program and being actively engaged in farming under the definitions in the law are actually doing what they are supposed to be doing or they shouldn't be getting the payments." Grassley says that GAO report found that in a majority of cases active farm management didn't amount to much involvement Grassley: "For example the GAO discovered that in more that 30 of the 59 files reviewed appeared to have recipients with little involvement in the organization but still collecting benefits. Some people met the active management test by participating in something as simple as having a once a year conference call on the farming operation." Grassley says his ultimate goal is to shut-down a major loop hole in the current rules on payment limitations. I'm Bob Hoff and that's the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Northwest Ag Information Network.