News Room

Harkin: Farm Bureau Criticism Of Senate Bill Is Misplaced

Senate Agriculture Chairman Tom Harkin shot back at the American Farm Bureau Federation Thursday over its criticism of an optional program in his draft farm bill as other groups rallied behind Harkin's plan to mark up the bill next week.

On Tuesday, Farm Bureau President Bob Stallman wrote Harkin that he had concerns about Harkin's proposed average crop revenue program. Stallman said it would likely result in cuts to traditional subsidy programs, provoke World Trade Organization challenges and shift money from the commodity title to nutrition and conservation programs.

On Thursday, Harkin wrote Stallman that after reviewing the farm bureau president's testimony before his committee in April, "I am convinced that providing farmers the choice of ACR is consistent with your call for a countercyclical revenue program in the new farm bill."

Harkin said the $3.2 billion in budget savings from the ACR "has allowed us to put together a bill meeting broadly held objectives for farmers in the new farm bill -- including strengthening farm income protection through upward adjustment of several target prices and loan rates, increasing the payment rate of the Milk Income Loss Contract program and dramatically boosting help to specialty crop producers -- all while staying within our budget allocation under strict pay-go rules."

Meanwhile, a broad range of farm groups wrote Harkin and Agriculture ranking member Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., that they should proceed as quickly as possible to mark up the farm bill.

"While each of our organizations may have concerns and questions about details of the framework agreement, particularly the relatively new version of a revenue option, we believe it is critically important to schedule a committee markup and floor consideration as soon as possible using your framework agreement as the basis."

Groups signing the letter included the National Farmers Union, the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture and the National Cotton Council. The National Association of Wheat Growers, which had earlier reacted negatively to Harkin's proposal, also signed the letter.

Farm Bureau did not sign the letter, but bureau lobbyist Mark Maslyn that the letter got sidetracked within the organization. "We want to see the product move forward," Maslyn said. Harkin's letter, he added, was a sign he and his staff "want to work together and find something that everybody could get behind."

By Jerry Hagstrom, Congress Daily

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