10/04/07 Maybe some Senate movement on farm bill

Farm and Ranch October 4, 2007 U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Tom Harkin has told reporters he will move his farm bill this afternoon if the Senate Finance Committee completes its nine-billion dollar ag tax disaster aid package early enough in the day. Harkin doesn't like a permanent disaster plan but has accepted it. He does point out however that Finance Chair Max Baucus's disaster plan can still be amended. Harkin: "Once that tax package is added to the farm bill it is open for amendment. And who knows, will the entire Senate want to go along with that or will they want to do something else with it." Harkin says his farm bill, like the House passed bill, will also have an option for revenue-based farm payments. He is now looking at a smaller cut in direct payments than the 4.5 billion dollars many on his panel opposed. Harkin: "That figure has not been settled yet. We have been working to find other sources of revenue. Different things happen. Different budget items we are looking at now. Probably in the one to two billion dollar range." The committee chairman also sees a possible fight over efforts to pare conservation programs. Harkin: "All these programs are at risk, conservation, all of them are. That is just not going to happen on my watch." Harkin also vows to have a national Conservation Security Program that is not based on watersheds. I'm Bob Hoff and that's the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Northwest Ag Information Network.