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Published: May 23, 2008 07:23 pm
Readers' Forum: May 24, 2008
New farm bill is good for Indiana
There has been a lot of rhetoric about the new farm bill, H.R. 2419, which was passed by both the U.S. House and Senate with overwhelming bipartisan support. Much of that rhetoric has been inaccurate. It seems that even in a major agricultural state such as Indiana, many people have little understanding of the farm bill, its importance to farmers both large and small, and its importance to everybody who is interested in conservation and in food aid for the needy — and to everybody who eats.
As has been pointed out repeatedly, the bill is a $300 billion package. However, what few people seem to notice is that almost all of that money goes to non-farm programs: food assistance and nutrition programs for needy Americans, programs to help conserve our natural resources, food safety and support for rural communities.
Only 17 percent of the package is devoted to the farm safety net — which makes up just 0.25 percent of the federal budget.
Funding for hunger relief programs is why America’s Second Harvest, the nation’s food-bank network, asked contributors to lobby in favor of this farm bill. (The news release can be found at www.secondharvest.org.) The bill includes a strong nutrition title with $250 million a year in funding, indexed for inflation, for the Emergency Food Assistance Program and significant improvements in the Food Stamp Program.
Another factor that is ignored is what Americans are getting for their farm program dollars. Direct payments aren’t handed out freely — they compensate farmers for protecting wetlands and highly erodible land, providing environmental benefits the rest of America wants.
The bill cuts deeply into basic financial support for farmers while still providing food security for the nation. The five-year total for commodity-type supports is slashed to about $48 billion — about half the $95 billion in the previous farm bill. In addition, payment limitations have been significantly strengthened.
Those looking for substantial reform have found it in this bill.
Another factor often ignored is: What would have happened if Congress hadn’t passed this bill? The most likely alternative would have been extending the current bill, which would have been even more expensive since it does not include the reforms. Wouldn’t that have been fiscally irresponsible?
Therefore, Farm Bureau applauds the members of Indiana’s congressional delegation who helped pass this bill, which is good for Indiana agriculture, consumers and the environment.
— Don Villwock, president
Indiana Farm Bureau
Knox County farmer
We should pray for wisdom and peace
As we are nearing the election of the next president of the United States, we should all pray to God that he would bring a righteous leader into the forefront of decision-making in our nation and give him or her his wisdom.
We should all pray to God to destroy the stronghold and plans of the enemy in this country and for this country. We should all pray to God for protection for our military leaders and troops who are in “harm’s way” and to give them revelation, guidance and favor.
But most of all we should all pray to God to pour out his peace for our nation.
— Charlie Barth
Terre Haute
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