News and Press Releases
Senator Clinton Sets Priorities For Farm Bill Reauthorization
Jun 14, 2007
SENATOR CLINTON SETS PRIORITIES FOR FARM BILL REAUTHORIZATION
Senate set to begin consideration of 2007 Farm Bill
Clinton says bill is an important opportunity to support programs aimed at assisting both farmers and consumers
Washington, DC – Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton today outlined her priorities for the upcoming reauthorization of the Farm Bill. In a letter to Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Tom Harkin, and Ranking Member Saxby Chambliss, Senator Clinton outlined a number of proposals that she believes should be addressed in the Farm Bill and called for the inclusion of several of her own proposals in the anticipated markup.
“The reauthorization of the Farm Bill provides a unique opportunity for us to look out for our agricultural and rural communities. We have to make sure that we do everything we can to continue the programs that work and fix those that don't,” Senator Clinton said today. “A chance like this to enhance and improve essential farming programs only comes along once every five years, and I am excited to seize this opportunity to secure the future of our farming families and communities. I look forward to working with the Senate Agricultural Committee to make the best case for our producers.”
The 2002 Farm Bill, officially entitled the “Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002”, authorizes programs operated by USDA such as the farm price and income support programs and expires with the 2007 crop year. As such, new legislation needs to be enacted prior to the expiration of the 2002 Act at the end of September.
In addition to outlining her priorities for existing programs, Senator Clinton also urged the Committee to consider a number of pieces of legislation that she has introduced, as well as others she supports and co-sponsored, for policy discussion during the farm bill negotiations and inclusion in the final bill.
In her letter, Senator Clinton called on her Senate colleagues to address a number of issues including –
Dairy
Senator Clinton urged the Committee to continue the Milk Income Loss Contract (MILC) program as part of a safety-net for dairy farmers and called for enhancements to the program.
Country of Origin Labeling (COOL)
Senator Clinton called for action to force the USDA to properly implement COOL. The Senator also called for oversight hearings to ensure that the true letter of the law is expressed in its final implementation.
Commodities
Senator Clinton emphasized the need to continue the commodity title with a strong counter-cyclical safety net, factoring cost of production, for producers to mitigate periods of low prices.
Credit & Crop Insurance
Senator Clinton called on her colleagues to address the serious lack of credit opportunities that is making it almost impossible in some cases for coming generations to make a career in agriculture.
Food Safety
Senator Clinton urged the Committee to consider language to push the USDA and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) into implementing better programs to protect our food supply, including the possibilities of increased food inspectors and a reorganization of the food safety structure between agencies.
Nutrition
Senator Clinton called for Congress to strengthen and enforce USDA's purchasing of local products in many of the department's feeding and nutritional programs. Senator Clinton is a lead sponsor with Senator Brown of the “Food Outreach and Opportunity Development (FOOD) for a Healthy America Act,” to expand the access to healthy food and increase markets for producers and has also introduced the “School Food Fresh Act” which would better connect schools with more fresh foods produced by local farmers. She also called for an expansion of efforts to help lower-income Americans whose well-being depends upon access to our federal nutrition programs.
Conservation
Senator Clinton called for a restoration and full funding of the Conservation Security Program (CSP) and Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) while recommending additional enhancements to the whole Conservation title. She also asked the Committee to consider ways to encourage farmers to get more involved in agricultural practices that reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Specialty Crops
Senator Clinton called for the inclusion of language aimed at strengthening the Value-Added Grant Program, the Foreign Market Access program, and efforts to stem the tide of invasive species that are threatening many producers. Senator Clinton is a co-sponsor of the “Specialty Crops Competition Act,” which would enhance programs to help specialty crop farmers. The most important piece from that legislation is ensuring the expansion of the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program.
Honeybee Crisis
Senator Clinton urged her colleagues to take steps to stop Colony Collapse Disorder which is impacting producers of honey, apples and many other crops.
Energy
Senator Clinton urged the Committee to continue the innovative programs that were authorized in the 2002 Farm Bill to help farmers produce energy and to look for new incentives to plant new energy crops and promote local ownership of renewable energy production projects.
Rural Development
Senator Clinton committed to working with the Committee to promote a rural development framework to help rural communities and businesses to compete in a in a globalizing economy, including increased investment and a coordinated approach to rural innovation, investment, and regional collaboration. The Senator introduced the “Rural Investment to Strengthen our Economy Act” (Rural RISE Act) to increase credit access for rural entrepreneurs and microenterprises.
Broadband
Senator Clinton introduced the “Rural Broadband Initiative Act” which would authorize $20 million in annual funding, and would create a new undersecretary position at the USDA whose primary responsibility is getting broadband technology to all corners of rural America. The Senator is asking for consideration of this legislation as part of the Rural Development title.
A copy of Senator Clinton's letter is below –
June 14, 2007
Dear Chairman Harkin and Ranking Member Chambliss:
As you work to develop a new farm bill, I write to ask for your consideration of a number of proposals and ideas that I believe can help both producers and consumers.
Nutrition – Senator Brown and I have introduced S.1432, the Food Outreach and Opportunity Development (FOOD) for a Healthy America Act, an effort to expand access to healthy food for consumers and increase markets for our producers. This legislation seeks to strengthen existing nutrition programs, such as the Seniors Farmers' Market Nutrition Program, the Farm to Cafeteria Program and national expansion of the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program. I have also introduced the School Food Fresh Act, S. 1031, which would better connect schools with more fresh foods produced by local farmers. In addition to these programs, we should strengthen and enforce the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) purchasing of local products in many of the department's feeding and nutritional programs.
Beyond improving access to quality food, we also need to expand our efforts to help lower-income Americans whose well-being depends upon access to our federal nutrition programs. The proposals that you have offered with Senator Lugar, in the Food Stamp Fairness and Benefit Restoration Act, are important steps toward this goal. Your legislation works to end food stamp benefit erosion and update asset reform. These are examples of the kind of enhancements we need to respond to the years of cuts and deductions these programs have experienced.
Conservation – Conservation programs are critically important to farmers in New York and across the country. Restoring funding for the Conservation Security Program (CSP) is a priority that I know you are working toward. As I have met with and listened to New York farmers, I have heard a number of other recommendations that I would like to bring to your attention:
Enhance the Farm and Ranch Land Preservation Program to allow for proper utilization in New York and all states.
Increase the funding for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) which better targets funding to increase environmental benefits – expanding it to support the implementation of alternative manure utilization or treatment technologies and conversion to organic agriculture.
Expand eligibility of the Conservation Security Program (CSP) so that all producers can participate in the program, and provide additional resources for technical assistance through the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).
In addition to strengthening existing conservation programs, I hope that you consider ways to encourage farmers to get more involved in agricultural practices that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Voluntary carbon trading markets are beginning to provide a way to improve farm income, and I urge you to consider research, technical assistance and other ways that the farm bill can help producers become more involved in these opportunities to help the environment and their bottom line. These steps we can make conservation programs even more valuable and accessible to farmers in New York and across America.
Specialty Crops – Specialty crops play a vital role in our domestic food supply and nutrition, and we need to do more to help producers. I am a cosponsor of Senator Stabenow's Specialty Crops Competition Act legislation that would enhance programs to help specialty crop farmers in New York and across the country produce and market their crops. Specifically, I would encourage the inclusion of language aimed at strengthening and improving the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program, the Value-Added Grant Program, the Foreign Market Access program and efforts to stem the tide of invasive species that are threatening many producers.
Also, I urge you to take steps to reduce the loss of our vital pollinators to Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), which is impacting producers of honey, apples and many other crops. CCD is currently raising the cost of producing these crops. The potential negative impacts on produce quality and quantity for the future is alarming. With these concerns in mind, I reiterate the request that I made in a prior letter to your committee to include research and other provisions to address this growing problem. For that purpose, I support legislation from Senator Baucus, on conservation policy, and Senator Boxer's upcoming bill on research priorities to reduce these rapid pollinator losses.
Dairy – New York is the third leading state in the production of milk and its producers need a fair dairy safety-net that takes into account increases of feed and energy costs. A payment program based on a counter-cyclical approach aids producers in times of lower prices and is less costly to taxpayers in times of high prices. The Milk Income Loss Contract (MILC) program has worked well as part of a safety-net to dairymen during times of low milk prices and has provided much needed assistance to producers. As you consider reauthorization of this program, I ask you to look at improvements, such as restoring payments to 45% of the difference between the target and market prices and doubling the limit on payments from 2.4 million pounds of milk to 4.8 million pounds to provide for more hard working milk producers.
Commodities – Like dairy, the commodity title needs to have a strong safety-net for producers. A counter-cyclical program, factoring cost-of-production, is the most effective way to help farmers when prices are low and to save taxpayer dollars when our farmers are getting a better price from the market. Farmers in this country need a reliable and fiscally sound set of payments that help mitigate the impact of their being price takers and not price makers. This requires federal support in times of fluctuating prices.
Energy – Energy production has led to expanding opportunities for our rural Americans. The last farm bill included a number of innovative programs to help farmers and ranchers produce energy, and I urge you to reauthorize and expand these programs. Looking forward, cellulosic ethanol holds great promise for all regions of the country, and the new farm bill offers a great opportunity for research and programs to provide incentives for producers to plant new energy crops. I have supported various bills to address these and other renewable energy and biofuel concepts.
In addition, as we continue to develop rural, renewable energy production, I ask that you consider ways to promote local ownership of biorefineries, wind farms and other renewable energy projects. Studies show that the inclusion of local ownership of renewable energy spurs economic activity within small communities and the next farm bill can further encourage this kind of rural investment.
Credit & Crop Insurance – As the committee is well aware, it is becoming more and more difficult for young people to get started in farming and ranching or to invest in improving the operations they already have. Lack of access to capital and credit opportunities is making it almost impossible in some cases for our next generation of farmers to make a career in agriculture. It is essential that we make it easier to overcome these hurdles.
I have received a number of suggestions from producers in my state regarding crop insurance and would like to offer these as program improvements: reducing the loss threshold for claims; allowing a higher subsidy rate for higher coverage levels; speeding up the certification and approval process for adding crops or new states to allow greater coverage; and supporting pilot programs for application to the diary industry.
The McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program – The reauthorization of the McGovern-Dole feeding program is legislation that I have been pleased to co-sponsor. This program is a very positive initiative that not only decreases childhood hunger around the world but also improves children's education and health on a daily basis.
Food Safety – Given the recent problems surrounding the food supply of not just our pets but of food for human consumption as well, I would ask that you include measures to strengthen our food safety programs. There needs to be a full debate on issues relating to food safety in this country. Consideration of increasing inspectors and efforts to restructure our current system should be discussed during these times of increased imports and food borne illness scares.
Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) is one tool that gives consumers and food safety officials better information in times of necessity, and in the everyday decisions that consumers make when purchasing food to feed their families. Even though COOL was passed in the 2002 Farm Bill, the implementation of this program for products, other than seafood, has yet to occur. I hope to see an emphasis on language to mitigate USDA's inability to implement this program properly and that oversight hearings can occur to ensure that the true letter of the law is expressed in its final implementation. I urge mandatory implementation of this program as soon as possible.
Rural Development – In addition to strengthening farm programs, we need a bold and visionary new rural development framework to help rural communities and businesses to compete in a globalizing economy. As you know, over the past 15 years, federal investments through USDA Rural Development have essentially remained flat. Our global competitors are doing the opposite; in fact, each year the European Union (EU) is investing over 2 billion euros in rural development commitments.
In addition to increasing investment, I think we need to move to a more systemic approach to rural innovation, investment and regional collaboration. I have outlined such an approach by introducing S. 1034 – The Rural Investment to Strengthen our Economy Act (The Rural RISE Act). This legislation builds on proposals that were put forward in the last farm bill including increased credit access for rural entrepreneurs and microenterprises, a revised Rural Strategic Investment Program and incentives for home ownership in rural areas.
Broadband – Getting broadband to rural areas is a critical economic development priority; I have introduced S. 1032, The Rural Broadband Initiative Act, to accelerate this expansion. The bill would authorize $20 million in annual innovation funding, and would create a new undersecretary position at the USDA whose primary responsibility is getting broadband technology to all corners of rural America. Accountability is key to this expansion and I have stressed these qualities in my legislation.
I strongly believe that these farm bill and rural issue recommendations would benefit New York and the entire country. Although I understand the current budget restraints, I ask your careful consideration of these proposals as you continue to develop the farm bill. I look forward to working with you on passage of a Senate farm bill later this year.
Sincerely yours,
Hillary Rodham Clinton