Current Articles: Wakeup Call From Senator Lincoln By: Larry Combest Since the G-8 Leaders and five of their developing country counterparts set 2010 as the end date for completion of the Doha Round at the July Summit, there have been multiplying pledges of fealty to the Round, culminating in the alleged "breakthrough" at the meeting of Trade Ministers in New Delhi earlier this month... [View the Full Article] Fatal Attraction: A WTO Update By: Larry Combest WASHINGTON (July 30, 2009)—This spring, world politicians once again revisited the idle Doha Round of international trade negotiations, doing so first at April’s G-20 Economic Summit. Here, a pledge was secured that the key players in the world economy remained "committed to reaching an ambitious and balanced conclusion" to the Doha Round "building on the progress already made..." [View the Full Article] USDA Should Stop Pitting Farmers Vs. School Nutrition Programs U.S. Senator Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.), Ranking Republican Member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, and others today sent a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack urging him to refrain from using rhetoric that unfairly attacks the farmers and ranchers who form the foundation of America’s rural economy. Earlier this month, the Secretary stated that the upcoming reauthorization of the school nutrition program and the larger agenda of the Department of Agriculture is a choice between 30 million children or 90,000 farmers... [View the Full Article] Senate Ag Leaders Weigh In On Doha Twenty-two United States Senators from farm states sent President Bush a letter on Dec. 8 expressing their “serious concerns about the direction of global agricultural trade negotiations in Geneva.”  The letter, which was signed by 15 members of the Agriculture Committee including Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Ranking Member Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), stated, “The potential modalities framework now under consideration by negotiators in Geneva is not sound or balanced from the perspective of U.S. agriculture... [View the Full Article] Finance, Ways and Means Leaders Urge President to Stand Firm on Doha Round Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and Ranking Member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), along with House Ways and Means Chairman Charles Rangel (D-NY) and Ranking Member Jim McCrery (R-La), sent a letter today to President Bush, urging the administration to stand firm in the Doha Round negotiations at the World Trade Organization... [View the Full Article] Ag Committee Sends Strong Doha Signal Talks in the Doha Round of the World Trade Organization (WTO) have collapsed again because Brazil, China, and India were unwilling to bend... [View the Full Article] Congress Backed Farm Bill to the End The farm bill has endured some rough obstacles in its venture to become law.  Thankfully, many congressional members backed the farm bill to the very end.  Farm Policy Facts would like to highlight some of their statements in support of the farm bill... [View the Full Article] Farm Bill as Economic Stimulus By: Sen. Norm Coleman Excerpt from Congressional Record May 15, 2008: I come to the floor to ask my colleagues to work with me to pass one of the most critical economic stimulus packages this body will have a chance to vote on all year. This is a balanced proposal, both ensuring the viability of a key economic sector--agriculture--and helping the many Americans who are struggling to put food on the table. It is a farm bill that we will soon vote to send to the President. [View the Full Article] Financing the Farm Bill By: Sen. Kent Conrad Excerpt from Congressional Record May 15, 2008: Why a bill at all? Well, because our major competitors have much more ambitious support for their producers than we have for ours. This is a fact. The Europeans are providing more than three times as much support to their producers than we provide to ours. [View the Full Article] Well-Rounded Farm Bill By: Rep. Collin Peterson Excerpt from Congressional Record May 14, 2008: We have come to a point where I believe we have a good bill that should be supported by all Members of this Congress from both urban, suburban and rural areas. I have here a chart that shows how the current farm bill spending is going to be allocated on a 10-year basis, which is what we have to go by. [View the Full Article] "Solid Reforms" in Farm Bill By: Rep. Bob Goodlatte Excerpt from Congressional Record May 14, 2008: This farm bill contains solid reforms while addressing a variety of issues including forestry, rural development, renewable energy, nutrition, conservation, research, specialty crops, and livestock and still maintains the safety net necessary to ensure a safe, reliable and affordable domestic food supply. This farm bill is a good work product, and I am proud of the work we have done. [View the Full Article] Specialty Crops and Nutrition By: Sen. Patty Murray Excerpt from Congressional Record May 15, 2008: [F]arming is a critical part of the economy in my home state of Washington. Many people don't know it, but Washington is the Nation's 11th-largest farm State. And we are the third-largest producer of fruits and vegetables--which are also known around here as specialty crops… [View the Full Article] The Energy Title in Farm Bill By: Sen. John Thune Excerpt from Congressional Record May 15, 2008: This farm bill is important for a lot of reasons. I don't have time to get into all the details of why I think this bill is important, but it does preserve a strong safety net. It does provide a permanent disaster title, which is something many of us have sought to achieve for some time, and fought long and hard for. It has conservation provisions that increase funding for certain conservation programs… [View the Full Article] Livestock Title By: Rep. Leonard Boswell Excerpt from Congressional Record May 14, 2008: Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this conference report… As chairman of the Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry Subcommittee, working with my ranking member over here, Mr. Hayes, we have got the first-ever livestock title. It offers producers much-needed protections and ensures fairness and transparency within the marketplace [View the Full Article] False Claims by Farm Bill Critics By: Sen. Max Baucus Excerpt from Congressional Record May 15, 2008: [T]oo few Americans realize how important America's farmers and ranchers are to the economy and the security of this country. Over the last few years, major newspapers and Washington special interest groups have been busy demeaning our Nation's farmers and ranchers… These attacks are disappointing to many of us who have worked hard over the years to enact successful, supportive agriculture policy. [View the Full Article] Farm Bill Reform By: Sen. Amy Klobuchar Excerpt from Congressional Record May 15, 2008: America's farm safety net was created during the Great Depression as an essential reform to help support rural communities and protect struggling family farmers from the financial shocks of volatile weather and equally volatile commodity prices. [View the Full Article] Rural Development By: Rep. Mike McIntyre Excerpt from Congressional Record May 14, 2008: [T]his bill is a victory for farmers, a victory for communities, a victory for rural America. As chairman of the Rural Development Subcommittee, I'm pleased that this conference report contains strong rural development title that supports small business, expands access to broadband, and addresses the critical infrastructure backlog at the USDA. I'm very excited that this conference report also authorizes regional development economic commissions across the country to put a Federal focus on jobs and economic development. [View the Full Article] Need for President Bush to Support the Farm Bill By: Sen. Larry Craig Excerpt from Congressional Record May 15, 2008: In an age of skyrocketing energy prices, economic uncertainty, and now a global food crisis, there is at least one thing we should be able to be certain of: our Nation's food security. We cannot take for granted our ability to feed ourselves, lest we become dependent on other countries for our food in addition to our oil. [View the Full Article] Volatile Nature of Agriculture By: Rep. Kenny Hulshof Excerpt from Congressional Record May 14, 2008: [T]his bill is a victory for farmers, a victory for communities, a victory for rural America. I realize that fewer and fewer Americans have a direct connection to the land. One reason is because it's becoming quite tough to make a living in production agriculture. And certainly that disconnect to rural America is evident here on the floor of the House. Dwight Eisenhower once said, "Farming looks mighty easy when your plow is a pencil and you're a thousand miles away from the cornfield." [View the Full Article] Administration Must Compromise on Farm Bill By: Senator Norm Coleman After months of negotiations, congressional negotiators are on the cusp of a farm bill agreement that’ll provide the framework necessary to quickly complete reauthorization of the nation’s farm policy. This will be the product of a consistent, bipartisan, cross-regional and bicameral effort in Congress. With the spring planting season nearly upon us, it goes without saying that we quickly must reach an agreement that will provide certainty to our farmers... [View the Full Article] Stop Playing Politics with America's Food Supply By: Congressman Charlie Melancon My colleague, Congressman Charles Boustany (R), and I recently hosted "Farm Day 2008" in Louisiana, where we heard from members of the state's agricultural community. The one issue that came up over and over again during the program was getting past partisan bickering in DC and getting a farm bill passed now... [View the Full Article] Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) Breaks Down Farm Payment Receipts Excerpt from a Dec. 11 Statement on the Senate Floor The critics say only 43 percent of all farms received payments. The critics say that 57 percent of farms unfairly operate without a safety net. The critics say the largest 8 percent of all farms receive 58 percent of the farm program benefits... [View the Full Article] Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) Defends Cotton Farmers from Editorial Excerpt from a Nov. 8 Statement on the Senate Floor I wish to take just a minute to address an issue that appeared in The Washington Post earlier this week... [View the Full Article] From the Senate Floor: Excerpt from a Nov. 8 Statement By: Sen. Pat Roberts(R-Kan.) [D]espite the fact that our Nation enjoys but does not apparently appreciate the fact that production agriculture does provide this country and a very troubled and hungry world the very best quality food at... [View the Full Article] Finally, an Editorial for Farmers In my position on the House Agriculture Committee, I have traveled around the country and met with many different kinds of farmers, and I have come to the conclusion that editorial board writers don’t spend a lot of time on farms... [View the Full Article] Wake Up and Defend Agriculture By: Congressman Marion Berry Most Americans start their days the same way. Get out of bed, shower, put on clothes (most likely cotton), and head to the kitchen... [View the Full Article] "Thank You" By: U.S. Senator Max Baucus Standing Up For American Agriculture Over the last few years, major newspapers and special interest groups have been busy demeaning our nation's farmers and ranchers. [View the Full Article] Farmers Deserve Our Thanks, Not Our Criticism By: U.S. Senator Blanche Lincoln "Our farmers deserve praise, not condemnation; and their efficiency should be cause for gratitude, not something for which they are penalized." [View the Full Article]