10/10/05 Diversity makes Farm Bill Forum

The U.S.D.A. Farm Bill Forum series is officially over. One of the final stops on the tour that covered all but two states on the mainland forty eight was last week's visit in Cheney Washington. U.S.D.A. Secretary Mike Johanns hosted the Forum in Cheney & his twenty first of twenty two hosting duties on the tour. And when the three hour comment period had ended, Johanns walked away impressed. JOHANNS: Really one of the better forums. They've all been tremendous, but this was outstanding. A tremendous diversity of discussion and opinion. Now some may think that what Johanns said was a standard line used after all of his Farm Bill Forum appearances. But the key to Johanns' sincerity about his comments on the Cheney forum can be found in his note about the diversity of the comments. That's because the Secretary was also impressed with the diversity of Northwest agriculture and the various components represented at the Cheney Forum. Johanns admitted previously that the specialty crops that our region specializes in needed greater representation in the next Farm Bill, and not necessarily in payment supports but in other ways such as greater research funding and market access supports. But his visit to the Northwest confirmed that maybe supporters of the current Farm Bill, especially those from large production ag states in the Mid west and South should consider U.S. agriculture on the whole in crafting the next one. JOHANNS: Some will argue "Well, let's just repackage the same Farm Bill and everything is great". Well, they need to come to Washington State and hear these producers. They are really suffering under this Farm Bill. It's just been a very very difficult situation for them. And it's not just specialty crops with no or very little payment supports that have suffered. Northwest wheat producers, because they specialize in white, not red, wheats, do not benefit from loan deficiency or countercyclical payments like growers in the plains and Midwest. Then add the rising fuel and fertilizer costs of recent months on top of that. Putting it in perspective on the cumulative effects is turf seed grower Art Schulteiss. SCHULTEISS: For the past three years, I have enjoyed some of my best crop yields ever. However, financially I'm struggling. Now Congress, not U.S.D.A., will write the 2007 Farm Bill. But with U.S.D.A. and Johanns expected to show greater involvement in crafting a Farm Bill than any previous administration, many sectors of Northwest agriculture, thanks to the impressions they made on Johanns recently, could see some benefits that will help their bottom line for years to come.