04/05/06 Am Farm Bureau sees no farm program cuts

Farm and Ranch April 5, 2006 It is budget season in the nation's capital and Congress has until April 15th to pass the budget. American Farm Bureau budget specialist Pat Wolff says the news for farmers and ranchers is what is not on the chopping block this year. Wolff: "Last year farm programs were cut by 3.7 billion dollars. There was a lot of concern that Congress would come back and take another run at ag programs but that didn't materialize." Wolff says that means the current farm bill is safe from cuts. Wolff: "Congress has a task of writing a new farm bill in 2007 but we don't have to worry about changes before then. So we don't have to worry about changes in farm programs that might upset a farmer's bank or impact his cash flow." Wolff says that doesn't mean Congress can't change programs within the farm bill. Wolff: "Every year somebody offers a payment limitation to some of the spending bills. And those things will still happen. They happen every year but the underlying level of funding is safe. Congress can only monkey around the edges." The House Budget Committee's budget resolution does call for 55 million dollars in agriculture savings for fiscal 2007 but it asking for those savings in the Food Stamp program and the Export Credit Guarantee Program. I'm Bob Hoff and that's the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Northwest Ag Information Network.