Center For Rural Affairs Encouraged by Senate Starting Point
(May 2013) In response to the Farm Bill proposal released by Senate Agriculture Chair Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), the Center for Rural Affairs issued the following statement:
“The Farm Bill proposal released by Senate Agriculture Chair Debbie Stabenow is an excellent starting point, with long overdue, commonsense reforms,” said Chuck Hassebrook, Executive Director of the Center for Rural Affairs. “It closes the worst loopholes in farm program payment limitations, reduces crop insurance subsidies that encourage tearing up native grasslands, and funds vital small business, rural community and beginning farmer programs.”
The payment limitation reforms are a critical first step in making payment limitations real and enforceable. More is still needed, particularly capping premium subsidies for crop insurance. If one corporation farmed an entire state, the federal government would continue paying over 60 percent of its insurance premiums on every acre, even in the most profitable years, explained Hassebrook.
Unfortunately, this Farm Bill proposal would cut funding from the Conservation Stewardship Program, which routinely gets twice as many applications as it can fund. We hope to work with the Chair and members of the Committee to restore this crucial funding that helps farmers and ranchers conserve soil and water.