04/27/06 Ag director talks about next farm bill

Washington Ag April 27, 2006 A basic understanding about the next federal farm bill everyone needs to have according to Washington Agriculture Director Valoria Loveland, is that there will be less resources, a need to be strategic and there must be support for all commodities grown in the United States. Loveland told a recent farm bill forum in Moses Lake she has heard concerns that specialty crop states will gang up to get money at the expense of traditional farm program crops, which include wheat. That is not something Loveland supports. Loveland: "All boats must float. It takes a critical mass for agriculture to survive. We need implement dealers. We need the ability to have distribution systems not only on the transportation side but for fuel and fertilizer and the things we need. Whether its wheat or apples, if we do not have critical mass we do not have the support services that are necessary for agriculture to survive. So, I don't subscribe to it's one or the other. It's both." And Loveland, who is president elect of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, says that's the view of her fellow state ag directors. The former state lawmaker told agriculture not to get divided into camps because that sends a signal to legislators there is no consensus and they don't have to act. I'm Bob Hoff.