Moving Farm Policy Forward For North Dakota and America
ND Farm Bureau Annual Meeting
Theme: One Future, One Voice
Bismarck, North Dakota
November 16, 2001
As many of you know, for well over a year now, I have supported and worked for a long-term farm bill with counter-cyclical payments and a balanced approach among the commodities. I have pushed for a farm bill with healthy provisions for rural economic development, agricultural research and responsible conservation incentives.
Just such a comprehensive bill, sponsored by Republican Larry Combest and Democrat Charlie Stenholm, passed the U.S. House of Representatives in early October. Many people thought it couldn't pass. It could, and it did, by a two to one margin.
I have worked with the leadership of both parties, and most constituent groups. Since July, I have met with Rep. Combest; USDA chief of staff Dale Moore; and senior Bush advisor Karl Rove. I worked with our Senate delegation. I wrote to all 49 other governors, and personally spoke with 16, to urge passage of the House bill. And last month, I had an opportunity to mention our concerns to President Bush, who urged me to keep working for good farm policy.
Last week I had another opportunity to talk with a number of governors, including Governor Dirk Kempthorne of Idaho, Governor Bill Graves of Kansas, and Governor Mike Huckabee of Arkansas. With a farm bill in the Senate Agriculture Committee, I encouraged them to contact their Senators in support of a farm bill with the same kind of safety net and balanced provisions incorporated in the original House bill.
I pointed out to all that the fundamental provisions of the House farm bill provide a good foundation for legislation as the farm policy debate moved to the Senate. It was good for North Dakota – but equally important – it was good for the nation.
Early this week, I got a clear message from White House officials indicating that the President supports a farm bill this session providing two conditions be met -- that the bill be bipartisan and that the bill be comprehensive.
I worked leaders in both parties -- the White House, our Congressional Delegation and the various farm groups, including yours – and our message is getting through: We need a farm bill now to enable farmers to invest in their future and to revitalize their rural communities. We should not have to operate on year-to-year unplanned relief packages. We need to empower our farmers to plan and invest for their future, by providing a long-term farm plan with a counter-cyclical safety net. Only then will they be able to successfully transition into growing new crops and participate in value-added agriculture to gain self-sufficiency and build opportunity in rural America.
Today, farm policy is at a critical crossroads, and those roads cross squarely in the U.S. Senate. The Senate agriculture committee yesterday passed a bill out of committee with many of the same features as the House bill. The commodity title passed the Agriculture Committee on a 12 to 9 vote, but the full bill passed out of committee on an unrecorded voice vote with 17 members in favor and only 3 members voting against it.
But the bill still needs debate and full Senate approval. We would like to see further adjustments for wheat and barley, for example. Yet the proposal does provide a solid framework for improvement when it reaches conference committee, where the House and the Senate can hammer out the final version. The bill is both comprehensive and bipartisan, passed by a Republican-controlled House and a Democratic-controlled Senate.
General provisions of Senate bill
The proposal passed out of the Senate yesterday blends the same three approaches that I have advocated to enhance farm revenue security:
- Direct decoupled payment reduces cash-flow risk during low production seasons
- An increased marketing loan provides price protection for actual production.
- Counter-cyclical payment protects farmers against low prices
In addition, the farm bill just passed out of committee was comprehensive, meeting the second of the President’s requirements. It includes provisions for rural economic development, value-added agriculture and agricultural research, as well as conservation. The legislation seems to be moving in the right direction:
- The Senate bill continues to provide planting flexibility
- It provides counter-cyclical payments to help farmers weather the broad market swings that are common in the commodities that we grow in North Dakota.
- It encourages young people to stay on the farm because they can plan for their future and depend on a reliable, stable market.
- It provides funding for the development and marketing of value-added products, so that farmers could diversify and eventually wean themselves from federal dependence.
- It provides strong measures for rural economic development. Revitalization of our rural areas depends on vibrant farm communities. Retail stores, medical services, grocery stores, gas stations and other support businesses depend on the income of farmers to survive.
- It provides for agricultural research support, so that farmers can be more productive and competitive in the world market.
- It represents an effective economic stimulus package. While only 2 percent of the nation’s population is directly involved in farming and ranching, more than 30 percent of the population benefits from farm and ranch production. Agricultural products manufacturers and other support industries all benefit from the hard work of our farmers.
- It contributes to national security: For well over 40 years we have become increasingly dependent on foreign oil. Only during times of national crisis do we hear calls for energy independence. Do we want to be having the same dialogue about food production and food reserves in the future?
Continued commitment to promoting good farm policy
We have come a long way since last July, when Reps. Combest and Stenholm introduced their bill, a bill with North Dakota roots, but I don’t intend to stop pushing for a farm bill that will provide North Dakota farmers with the means to sustain a strong and essential industry for both the state and nation.
Writing good farm policy for North Dakota and America isn’t a contact sport -- it’s a team sport. Everyone has a role to play in making solid farm legislation the law of the land. I am committed to continuing my work with the White House, the Senate and my fellow governors to ensure that we get the very best farm bill possible this year.
Now, the bill goes to the full Senate for debate, amendment and, finally, a vote. If it passes, it will go to a House-Senate conference committee, which will hammer out a version that will eventually go to the President’s desk.
If we all continue to work together and push, I’m convinced that our farmers can have a new farm bill this year. I am committed to doing all I can, and I know you are, too. It’s vitally important for all of us here in North Dakota, throughout the farm belt, and for our entire country.
Thank you.
