04/25/07 Farm Bureau's Farm Bill proposals

The nation's largest farm organization, the Farm Bureau has list of recommendations for the 2007 Farm Bill. American Farm Bureau president Bob Stallman says he has to be responsive to all types of agriculture. STALLMAN "We have to resolve the regional differences, the commodity differences and so we try to be comprehensive and inclusive in this across all of the production sectors." Here are some of the proposals. " Support for maintaining the baseline funding for the commodity and conservation titles. " Eliminating the fruit and vegetable planting prohibition and conservation program funding for specialty crop growers. " Support for a revenue-based counter-cyclical safety net program. " A standing catastrophic assistance program that is integrated with a re-rated crop insurance program. " Retention of non-environmentally sensitive land in the Conservation Reserve Program and allowing the production of energy crops on that land. " Opposition to any changes in farm bill payment limitations and income means-testing. Stallman says Farm Bureau recommendations take budget constraints and trade obligations into account. Farm Bureau estimates that its proposal would cost 519 billion dollars over ten years, the same as the Congressional Budget Office baseline. Voice of Idaho Agriculture Bill Scott