Agricultural and Food Policy
 Agri Outlook
Radio
Number 139
Policy/Noteworthy: Farm Bill Update – Progress Being Made (4:04 minutes)
Audio/Video Script:
Dr. Bobby Coats
Extension Economist
University of Arkansas, Division of Agriculture
The 2008 Farm Bill by any measure good progress is being made. I’m Bobby
Coats Extension Economist University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.
The events of the past week show that good progress is being made in
completing the 2008 Farm Bill. On February 8, 2008 in an open letter to the Farm
Bill Community House Ag Committee Chairman Collin Peterson and Ranking Member
Bob Goodlatte said, "We are at a critical time. We must make significant
progress and outline a framework that is acceptable to the House, Senate and
Administration before the President’s Day recess in order to pass a Farm Bill
before the expiration of current law on March 15.
On February 12, 2008 House Ag Committee Chairman Collin Peterson and Ranking
Member Bob Goodlatte sent Senate Ag Committee Chairman Tom Harkin and Ranking
Member Saxby Chambliss a letter. They say, in order to reach an agreement that
produces a farm bill that can be signed by the President, the House Agriculture
Committee has developed an outline for spending that we believe can be achieved
and become law. Programmatic details will be worked out as always by the full
conference. They conclude by saying time is short and this has the potential to
resolve conference differences and move the bill to a Presidential signature
prior to the expiration of the extended Farm Bill authorization on March 15.
Senator Tom Harkin Chairman of the Senate Ag Committee issued a statement in
response to the House Agriculture Committee’s farm bill outline.
"Chairman Peterson and Ranking Member Goodlatte have my thanks for working with
their House colleagues to formulate and share their draft farm bill spending
outline. This outline is provided as a basis for further collaborative
work and negotiation, and that’s the spirit in which it should be received and
judged here in the Senate, where we of course have our own perspectives."
USDA Secretary Ed Schafer and Deputy Secretary Chuck Conner on current farm
bill negotiations released a statement. A couple of their comments follow:
- The Administration is working hard to identify roughly $6
billion over baseline to be used to fund this package in such a way as to
meet Congress' pay-go rules. We are confident this can be done and we can
move forward with a good farm bill.
- With these reforms and with acceptable offsets for the $6
billion of additional spending, we believe this offer represents a package
that is moving in a direction of a bill that the President would sign.
- We urge the House and Senate to use this proposal as the
framework for a conference agreement. Without action sometime soon, we risk
not reaching a final agreement that would provide a long-term safety net for
America's farmers and ranchers.
Finally, the process of writing a farm bill is never easy especially when
commodity prices are so high. Little discussion is given to the fact that the
basic input costs of producing row crops are up around 50% since 2002 and the
assumption is conveniently made by many that these high commodity prices are
here to stay. There are a number of remaining difficulties in the farm bill
debate that must be overcome before there is a final product. I still expect a
final product by April or May if not before.
This has been Bobby Coats Extension Economist University of Arkansas Division
of Agriculture.
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