05/09/07 Your chance to have input

Some advice from a guy who deals with government programs every day. Bob Bartholomew of the NRCS says Idaho farmers and ranchers aren't the only ones who should be paying attention to the creation of a new Farm Bill. Bartholomew says everyone should pay heed to what the politicians in Washington are saying. BARTHOLOMEW "Because it's going to have an affect on all of the commodity prices that will show up in the grocery store as increases or decreases." He'd like to see continued or expanded funding for the many conservation programs that were incorporated into the last two farm bills. BARTHOLOMEW "600 percent increase in Environmental Quality Incentives Program. That was unheard of. We went from two and a half million a year in the 1996 farm bill to an average of 13 to 14 million under the 2002 farm bill." Bartholomew says voters should let their Senators and Representatives know how they feel about certain proposals. BARTHOLOMEW "We'll see something out of the House. We'll see something out of the Senate. There are even regional farm bill proposals that are submitted. Getting involved in the Farm Bill isn't just about conservation, its also looking at issues like price supports for commodities, compliance with WTO agreements and other issues that will be covered for the next five years. Today's Idaho Ag News Bill Scott