Farm Bill apologia

By U.S. Rep. Bob Goodlatte
Published: June 7, 2008

As a piece of fiction, The News Virginian’s May 20 editorial, “Goodlatte, peers rain farm folly,” doesn’t rise to the high standards of the “Wizard of Oz” on which it relies for its template. But as a statement of fact it is even farther off the mark than the Wizard’s hot air balloon. It is necessary to clear up many of the misconceptions perpetuated by the editorial.
To criticize the new reform bill by using the 2002 numbers begs the question: Did you bother to look at the myriad changes from the 2002 bill? In a time of increasingly partisan politics, the bipartisan farm bill serves as an example of how the legislative branch can work together to produce solid reform legislation that benefits all Americans. It accomplishes this by eliminating the tax increases that were included in the House and Senate bills and replacing them with offsets from other government spending.
First and foremost, the 2008 farm bill does contain reforms — and significant reforms at that. For the very first time, there is an income cap on producers eligible to receive payment benefits, thus eliminating payments to the wealthiest farmers. Anyone with off-farm income of $500,000 or more will not be eligible for any farm program benefits. This represents an 80-percent reduction from the last farm bill. No longer will sports stars or wealthy media moguls be eligible for farm programs. Never before has the income level for farmers been capped to prevent the wealthiest farmers and ranchers from receiving benefits. Never before have we required direct attribution to prevent farmers from getting multiple payments. These are real reforms with real implications.
Hardly “cellulite-laden farm legislation,” the farming portion of the farm bill accounts for roughly 15 percent of the total spending in the bill — a $4.5 billion decrease from the actual spending in the 2002 Farm Bill. The majority of spending, nearly 70 percent, is for nutrition programs — predominantly the food stamp program. Moreover, the final farm bill costs less than either the House- or Senate-passed bills. In fact, the final farm bill costs $4 billion less than the House bill and $5 billion less than the Senate bill. You would be hard pressed to find an agreement between the House and Senate in the history of the Congress that came back costing less than either the House or Senate bills. That, in itself, is a significant achievement.
The farm bill also includes a dramatic decrease in the Conservation Reserve Program, where farmers are paid to keep land idle. This will add 7 million acres of new agriculture production to help lessen the effects of a flawed ethanol policy that has raised feed costs for livestock producers and the cost of food for consumers.
The farm bill contains many good programs that are important to people throughout the commonwealth, especially in the Sixth District. It includes critical funding for conservation, including programs that help farmers meet environmental regulations that benefit the Chesapeake Bay. The farm bill also includes a two-year extension of the conservation easement tax incentive, which helps private landowners keep agricultural lands in productive use and protects important fish and wildlife habitats. The bill includes expanded funding for the fruit and vegetable industry by investing in pest and disease research and eradication as well as organic research — all without directly subsidizing individual producers.
Agriculture policy is essential to the life of every American and it is important that the policy we formulate is responsible, effective and at a low cost to the taxpayer. This bill meets those requirements.
U.S. Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Roanoke, is the ranking Republican on the House Agriculture Committee. He was first elected to the House in 1992.