07/11/05 Farm Bill forums

Although specific dates and locations were not announced during the first of a series of nationwide Farm Bill forums, U.S.D.A. Secretary Mike Johanns says the series will soon be making stops near our region. JOHANNS: Now we'll continue to roll these tours out and stay in touch with us by reviewing our website, usda.gov. We'll provide you with information. We'll go to the west coast in mid-August, but I also want you to know that we're absolutely committed to visiting every region. The Farm Bill forums, like the one that aired before a national audience on RFD-TV, are designed to get feedback on how to best craft the next Farm Bill to better serve all Americans in agriculture. Now considering that the next forums are scheduled for the upper Mid-West, and that the kick-off event was held in Nashville, production ag held center stage. The Northwest is different agriculture wise, as it has more specialty crops and more family and sustainable operations. But Johanns offered some hope, if not a specific announcement, that such components of ag will have a fair opportunity to voice their comments on the shape of the 2007 Farm Bill. JOHANNS: Now some of our forums I should explain will be dedicated to other programs that are authorized by the Farm Bill. We expect several specialty forums if you will, to deal with issues like food and nutrition, which again are a part of the Farm Bill. Comments provided during the forums are fine-tuned in the form of six questions posed by U.S.D.A. One of those, which solicited strong feelings during the Nashville forum, is how to use farm policy to encourage new farmers to enter the business, and keep young farmers on the land. JOHANNS: Our policy should welcome that next generation. But do we have unintended consequences. Some economists have argued that what we have done is capitalized the value of farm programs, the dollars if you will, in cash rents and land values, that make it impossible for these people to farm. Other questions include how to use farm policy and the new Farm Bill to make U.S. ag more competitive globally, fairly distribute assistance to producers, achieve environmental and conservation goals, provide assistance in rural areas, and to address product development, marketing and research issues. Again, Johanns urged comments to be sent through www.usda.gov by clicking the Farm Bill Forum logo, or by mail to U.S.D.A.