01/04/06 NAWG and the 2007 Farm Bill

Farm and Ranch January 4, 2005 Exactly what the National Association of Wheat Growers would like to see in the next farm bill won't be out until after the organization's annual meeting coming up in February. But NAWG president Sherman Reese of Oregon, says there are some central features the group is coalescing around. Reese: "One is because of the WTO, we are looking a restrictions being placed on anything that has to do with current production. For wheat that would be counter-cyclical payments and marketing loan programs. So we are trying to coalesce around the idea of having a larger direct payment, in fact doubling the direct payment to a $1 a bushel. The individual farmer if he takes that opportunity then he is going to have to give up a major portion or maybe all his opportunity to participate in market loan and counter-cyclical programs. The other thing we are looking at is the possibility of having a farmer savings account." Then there are the conservation programs. Reese: "They are all vitally important. They all enjoy a lot of consumer and urban support. The trick is trying to get as much support as possible without making them too restrictive as far as on the ground application for the farmers." Reese says the challenge is going to be to find the funding for all those conservation programs like CSP, CRP, EQIP and others. I'm Bob Hoff and that's the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Northwest Ag Information Network.