10/25/07 Revenue program concerns wheat state senators

Farm and Ranch October 25, 2007 A revenue program farmers could choose as an option over the traditional commodity safety net generated concerns among wheat state lawmakers during the mark up of a 2007 Farm Bill by the Senate Agriculture Committee Wednesday. Kansas republican Pat Roberts said wheat didn't benefit from the 2002 Farm Bill's safety net and it wouldn't fare much better under the revenue option or ACR. Roberts: "In nine of the hardest years for Kansas wheat producers the program would have paid out only twice. Seven out those nine years we would have been in the same boat under this ACR program. That got my attention." But ACR would be optional. Still Roberts and other panel members like Kent Conrad said non-participants, likely wheat growers, would be impacted if say corn producers drop crop insurance because they have the revenue option. Conrad: "If you take out of the base of the national crop insurance industry the most stable parts, what happens to what remains. I am left with that question. It strikes me there can be only one answer. And that is those that remain have some adverse effect to them." Like higher crop insurance premiums. Senator Roberts offered an amendment to correct the problems he sees with the ACR which the committee may take up today as the markup continues. I'm Bob Hoff and that's the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Northwest Ag Information Network