Vilsack Wrap Up

Vilsack Wrap Up. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Line On Agriculture.

One issue that Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack talked quite a bit about in his visit with farm broadcasters at this year’s NAFB convention was of course the farm bill, or lack thereof.

VILSACK: I think it’s important for us to point out that the country - not just the rural parts, not just the farmers, not just the producers but the country needs a farm bill. The country needs a farm bill. We obviously need the policy certainty that comes with a farm bill and I have talked to a countless number of producers throughout the last couple of months and the one message that come back repeatedly regardless of what part of the country I’m in is that they can’t make decisions.

He says it’s important for farmers to have a safety net in place.

VILSACK: That will provide protection if Mother Nature doesn’t cooperate or if we are faced with a situation where prices precipitously decline through no fault of a producer. This benefits not just producers and I think this is an important message that needs to be underscored. This notion of a farm safety net is often couched in a very narrow discussion of the importance to farmers. It’s important to every American.

And Vilsack says American’s benefit from conservation programs.

VILSACK: We all want and need nutritious soil. We all want and need adequate quantities and better quality of water and when you consider nearly half of the landmass of the United States is involved in forestry or farming or ranching you realize that we have an impact through our conservation programs on the very essence of life.

That’s today’s Line On Agriculture. I’m Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.