09/12/07 Farm groups urge Senate action on farm bill

Farm and Ranch September 12, 2007 A coalition of national commodity groups, including the National Association of Wheat Growers, made the rounds in the U.S. Senate last week to communicate the urgent need for a new farm bill. Daren Coppock CEO of the National Association of Wheat Growers, says the September 30th expiration date of the current farm law is rapidly approaching. He questioned USDA officials about what that would mean. Coppock: "I was at the department meeting with deputy secretary Connor and some of the other folks down there last week. And I said what happens if we get to September 30 and there is no farm bill do you have authority to do things like advanced direct payments for wheat growers? And they said no! So that is going to be one immediate impact is no authority for any kind of advance direct payment, advance countercyclical. Policy tools and cash flow tools that farmers have at their disposal now will not be available come September 30 without an extension or a new farm bill. And there will be some other things throughout the bill that apply to other commodities and other interests that the authority will just go away." Mary Kay Thatcher, Director of Public Policy for the American Farm Bureau Federation, doesn't see any way to get a farm bill through the Senate before the end of the month. Thatcher: "Obviously we have passed the House be we have to pass Senate Ag and Senate and it has to go to conference and then its back to the Senate, back to the House and you have a presidential veto threat out." Thatcher says there is a 50 percent chance a farm bill will be passed by December but also a 50 percent chance it won't be passed until next March. I'm Bob Hoff and that's the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Northwest Ag Information Network.