05/09/08 Bush will veto conference farm bill; interest in local food councils

Farm and Ranch May 9, 2008 House and Senate conferees announced a farm bill compromise Thursday, which House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson says could be on the House floor by next Wednesday. He and the Senate better have enough votes to override a Presidential veto, because before the day was out Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer announced that Bush told him directly he will veto this bill. The National Association of Wheat Growers wasn't quite so quick in stating its position on the conference committees bill. President David Cleavinger, says his organization will not comment until more details, including report language, are available for review. He says they are pleased to see forward movement in the process, but remain concerned about the fate of a number of key priorities for wheat growers, chief among them, the direct payment program. At a news conference Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Tom Harkin provided an overview of the Commodity Title. Harkin: "The final farm bill conference report significantly reforms traditional farm support programs. We impose caps on the level on the farm income with an adjusted gross income test for those participating in commodity programs. It improves transparency and accountability by rebalancing target prices and loan rates for existing commodities and making farm program payments directly attributable to individuals. And the three-entity rule is eliminated. The conference report includes a new option for farmers beginning with next year's crop year to choose to participate in a state-level revenue protection system." Agriculture Secretary Schafer says there is not enough reform and the legislation costs too much by their accounting. I'm Bob Hoff and that's the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Northwest Ag Information Network. Tremendous interest in local food policy councils. This is the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report. I'm Bob Hoff. Today's report next. Farm and Ranch May 9, 2008 The focus of the Access to Healthy Foods Coalition is to try and get more local level involvement in providing healthy foods where people, live, learn, work and play. David Bobanick of Seattle, President of the Access board of directors, says local food policy councils are a way to do that. And when Access, in collaboration with other groups, announced it was having a workshop in Seattle on how to get local food policy councils started, registration filled up in a matter of days. Bobanick: "We are surprised and I think it really is a clear indication to us that the focus on local foods and local food issues really is something that is top of mind to people today. And I think timing of the event couldn't be better because of the escalating food prices. Because of, in some instances certainly among low income people and the food bank community where I work, there is this creeping sense of panic starting to come up of really needing to gain some control over the local food policy issues." The workshop scheduled for Seattle May 15th is drawing participants from 11 counties from both sides of Washington state. Bobanick expects we'll see more sessions in the not too distant future. That's the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report. Brought to you in part by the Washington State Potato Commission. Nutrition today! Good health tomorrow! I'm Bob Hoff on the Northwest Ag Information Network.