Top U.S. Senate Republican on ag says next farm bill will be dramatically different

Farm and Ranch February 19, 2009 He was speaking to a cotton meeting, but what Saxby Chambliss, ranking Republican on the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee, told his audience applied to producers of any USDA farm program crop. The Georgia Republican warned that the days of commodity program payments are numbered and he challenged growers to exploit the potential of the energy title to add value to their crops. Chambliss: “Really start thinking out of the box for ways you can look down the road ten years from now and think about what sort of streams of income might be generated from you operation, because let‘s be honest, the next farm bill we write is going to be dramatically changed from this farm bill.� In the meantime, Chambliss says he is working with 22 other senators to ensure the payment limit and payment eligibility language of the 2008 Farm Bill is implemented by USDA the way Congress intended. Chambliss: “ We sent a letter down to the department the other day and we explained to the Secretary this is what we meant and this is the way we expect you to implement this program.� Also speaking at that meeting was Kansas Republican Congressman Jerry Moran who said he hopes new Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack repeals the Bush Administration’s interim rule on “actively engaged� in farming. I’m Bob Hoff and that’s the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Northwest Ag Information Network.