In this issue: GF&P
Agency review meeting set
Anticipated Farm Bill
Action
Colorado FB satisfied
with new animal law
Most Americans believe
meat is safe
Key House committee
extends biodiesel tax credit
Calling All Century
Farms
YF&R contests
President Bush’s statement on reasons to veto the
farm bill
Quote of the Day
May 19, 2008
Upcoming events:
SDFB Youth Camp – June 9-11, Chamberlain
Legislative Interim Agency review: SDGF&P –
June 11, Pierre
Dakota Fest – August 19-21, Mitchell
Century Farms recognition – August 28, Huron
SDFB Annual Meeting – November 21-22, Sioux
Falls
National Farm-City Week – November 21-27
AFBF Annual meeting – January 11 – 14, San
Antonio, TX
Department of
Game, Fish & Parks agency review meeting set
The first meeting of the interim
legislative committee studying GF&P is set
for 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday, June 11, in
Pierre. Each year the LRC Executive Board
selects a couple of agencies for a
department-wide review. This year, the two
agencies selected are Game, Fish & Parks and
the Department of Tourism and State
Development.
Anticipated
Farm Bill Action
President Bush is expected to veto the farm
bill this week, possibly tomorrow
(Tuesday). The bill received veto-proof
margins of 81-15 in the Senate and 318-106
in the House. AFBF farm policy specialists
believe it is likely that congressional
leaders will schedule over-ride votes for
Wednesday or Thursday before adjourning for
the Memorial Day recess.
The new farm bill is expected to cost about
half that of the 2002 farm bill. Mandatory
spending for Title I (commodity) in the 2002
farm bill cost about $95 billion over five
years. In the pending farm bill, the total
budget for Title I, plus permanent disaster
assistance and crop insurance—which is not
Title I spending—is expected to cost about
$48 billion over five years.
In related legislative business, the House
and Senate extended the existing 2002 farm
bill through next Friday, May 23. It was set
to expire today.
The New York Times reports the
Senate vote “virtually seals President
Bush’s defeat in a battle over agriculture
policy.”
An editorial in the same paper states
Bush “should keep his promise to veto it and
demand better legislation.” An
editorial in The Washington Post
today describes the farm bill as “the
epitome of old-style Washington politics.”
President Bush’s statement on reasons for
vetoing the farm bill is at the bottom of
this e-mail.
Colorado
Farm Bureau satisfied with new animal law
Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter (D) this week
enacted legislation regulating the care of
farm animals. In an op-ed submitted to media
outlets, Colorado FB President Alan Foutz
described the new law as “welcome news to
Colorado farmers and ranchers. It will, over
the long term, help make sure our
agriculture and livestock community has a
strong voice in the regulation of animal
care practices in this state.
“In the last few years, concerns have been
raised about some of the standard practices
we’ve used for many years in raising farm
animals,” Foutz wrote. “All of these
practices, it’s important to note, have been
developed over time by livestock
veterinarians and other animal scientists.
“Nevertheless, the Colorado agriculture
community is listening to these concerns
because we understand the public holds us to
high standards. The bill signed by Gov.
Ritter makes it very clear that we take
those concerns seriously, giving the force
of law, for example, to the Colorado Pork
Producers’ commitment to phase out pregnancy
safety pens for sows.
“But it’s important to keep one other point
in mind as we move forward. While we’re
always willing to take a fresh look at what
we do and how we do it—and to be sensitive
to the public—we also believe that animal
and livestock practices ought to be reviewed
by experts like livestock veterinarians and
other animal care scientists. And like most
of our neighbors here in Colorado, we
believe decisions about animal care need to
be made on the basis of sound science, not
on purely emotional impressions.”
Near the end of the op-ed, Foutz wrote, “The
care of farm animals is a legitimate issue
for reasonable discussion. But that
discussion should be conducted by the people
who know what it’s like to care for animals
every day of the year.”
Most
Americans Believe Meat is Safe
Ninety percent of consumers believe the
meat, poultry and fish their groceries sell
is safe, according to a survey by the
grocery industry. The same survey shows
nearly 80 percent of consumers trust the
Agriculture Department to ensure food
safety, and 76 percent said they hold that
view of the Food and Drug Administration.
In addition, the
Food Marketing Institute’s U.S. Grocery
Shopper Trends 2008 report shows Americans’
concerns about the economy are bearing out
in the decisions they make related to food
and dining. Seventy-one percent said their
views of the economy compel them to eat at
home more, and 67 percent said they are
buying fewer luxury foods. Sixty percent
said they are buying more store brands, and
58 percent said they are eating more
leftovers.
Further, 41 percent of shoppers said they
are very concerned about the nutritional
content of the foods they eat, with fat of
all kinds being a major concern.
Key House
Committee extends biodiesel tax credit
The House Ways and Means Committee last week
approved H.R. 6049, a bill that extends tax
credits favored by the biodiesel industry.
Among the bill’s provisions, it extends the
biodiesel tax incentive for one year through
Dec. 31, 2009; provides a dollar-a-gallon
incentive for all biodiesel, regardless of
feedstock; and shuts the “splash-and-dash”
loophole that allows foreign-produced fuel
to enter the U.S, claim the biodiesel tax
incentive, and then be shipped to a third
country.
According to the National Biodiesel Board,
biodiesel displaced 20 million barrels of
petroleum in 2007. Biodiesel also is a
clean-burning fuel that reduces carbon
emissions by 78 percent, the equivalent of
removing 700,000 cars from the nation’s
roadways.
Calling all
Century Farms
If there are any farms or ranches
in your neighborhood that have been in the
same family for at least 100 years with
continuous ownership, that family is
eligible to apply for this year’s Century
Farms recognition.
To qualify as a Century Farm, there must be
at least 80 acres of the original SD
farmland owned by the same family for 100
years. The present owner must be related to
the original owner. This recognition is a
joint effort with the SD Department of
Agriculture and is not limited to SDFB
members.
The ceremony will be held at the SD State
Fair on Thursday, August 28.
For an application, or for more information,
go online to:
http://sdfb.fb.org/centuryfarm/centuryfarmapp.pd
YF&R Contests
Information about the YF&R
Discussion Meet, Achievement Award, and
Excellence in Agriculture Award, is
available on the SDFB website. Go to
http://sdfb.fb.org/ and click on the YF&R
link under “Programs.”
President
Bush’s statement on reasons for vetoing the
farm bill:
In
January 2007, I was hopeful that leaders in
Washington could come together on a good
farm bill. At that time, my Administration
had completed more than fifty listening
sessions across the country and developed a
reform-minded farm bill based on the
thousands of comments received. Our proposal
would make wise use of the people's money by
reforming farm programs, funding emerging
priorities and providing a safety-net that
better targets benefits for farmers.
I am
deeply disappointed in the conference report
filed today as it falls far short of the
proposal my Administration put forward. If
this bill makes it to my desk, I will veto
it.
Today's
farm economy is very strong and that is
something to celebrate. It is also an
appropriate time to better target subsidies
and put forth real reform. Farm income is
expected to exceed the 10-year average by
fifty percent this year, yet Congress' bill
asks American taxpayers to subsidize the
incomes of married farmers who earn $1.5
million per year. I believe doing so at a
time of record farm income is irresponsible
and jeopardizes America's support for
necessary farm programs.
Congress claims that this bill increases
spending by $10 billion, but the real cost
is nearly $20 billion when you include
actual government spending that will occur
if this bill becomes law. Instead of fully
offsetting the increased spending, the bill
resorts to a variety of gimmicks, such as
pushing commodity payments outside the
budget window. Adding nearly $20 billion in
additional costs to the current ten-year
spending level of approximately $600 billion
is excessive, especially when net farm
income is at a record high and food prices
are on the rise. My Administration clearly
identified numerous reforms as essential to
justify even a $10 billion increase in
spending, yet this bill includes none of
those reforms in full.
Crop
prices have averaged a twenty percent
increase since just last year. Still,
Congress wants to raise payment rates for
most crops and create new subsidies which
can be triggered even at very high prices.
The bill fails to stop the practice of
collecting subsidies even when crops are
sold later at a higher price; it restricts
our ability to redirect food aid dollars for
emergency use in the midst of a global food
crisis; and it falls short of the
Administration's conservation proposals. By
increasing trade-distorting subsidies, the
bill undermines our ability to open foreign
markets to American agricultural goods. The
bill creates an egregious new sugar subsidy
program that will keep sugar prices high for
domestic consumers, while making taxpayers
subsidize a handful of sugar growers. These
are just a few of the reasons why I cannot
support this bill.
In the
absence of a good farm bill, I call on
Congress to extend current law for at least
one year. The Administration's reform-minded
proposal would be preferable to current law,
but in light of the bill produced by
conferees an extension is now the better
policy for American agriculture and American
taxpayers. It is a far superior option than
supporting a bill that increases farm
subsidy rates, spends too much and fails to
reform farm programs for the future.
Quote
of the Day:
“Good
humor is one of the best articles of dress
one can wear in society.” William Makepeace
Thackeray