12/08/05 Farm Bill goes extreme?

12/08/05 Farm Bill goes extreme?

There are many in Northwest agriculture who would agree the 2007 Farm Bill needs to be crafted in a way that will be more beneficial to producers than the current measure. The 2002 Farm Bill provides little in the way of supports, and funds for various Northwest specialty crops that would assist in areas such as market access and research. Thanks to input from growers in recent Farm Bill forums, it appears U.S.D.A. Secretary Mike Johanns feels additional policy to help specialty crop growers will be needed in the next Farm Bill. And that is alright by Robert Guenther. As Vice-President for Public Policy for the United Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Association, Guenther believes specialty crop growers should continue to push for having an expanded role in crafting the upcoming Farm Bill. But Guenther is also quick to point out that produce and specialty crop supporters aren't the only ones jockeying for position to have their policy included or expanded in the 2007 Farm Bill. And in some cases, it is not just agriculture based commodity groups and organizations doing such lobbying. GUENTHER: We've learned that the Oxfam International is developing a very large war chest & it's up to five million dollars we understand right now &to try to impact the next Farm Bill through consumer, and editorial, and p.r. type work. And then animal rights and welfare we understand is also delving a very large war chest to be a player in the next Farm Bill debate. Oxfam is an international anti-poverty organization lobbying for increased U.S. food aid through Farm Bill policy. And the animal rights groups hope to impact Congressional crafting of the Farm Bill through less funding and greater regulation for the dairy, livestock, and poultry industries. Guenther believes the strategy of these groups is to lobby Congressional members in urban areas, where they have traditionally had little interest in Farm Bill policy, but might support expanded issues like food aid and animal welfare. But Guenther is quick to point out the produce and specialty crop industry has its own strategy to convince urban Congressional members to support their case in the Farm Bill. And he feels that would minimize the impact other groups might have in getting support for their causes, and in turn, provide greater support for agriculture in general. GUENTHER: We feel that what we hopefully can bring to the table is if we can convince Congress to continue to expand the use of nutrition programs to increase access to more fruits and vegetables that that's going to create a new environment to get more broader support from suburban and urban members of Congress to who traditionally have not supported the Farm Bill to understand that that will have a tremendous impact on their Congressional districts if we can get more access in terms of diet, health, factors that may be in play with those districts.
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