2007 critical issues

By Holly Martin

As the date on the front of this edition says, 2007 is here. With the new year comes a slate of important issues for the agricultural producer. The year promises to be extremely important to farmers and ranchers.

Farm bill -- or the Food Security Act as many would like to call it. The approach to this farm bill is critical and it promises to dominate the agricultural news in the coming year. Many anticipate a continued shift toward more conservation measures. Others would simply like to see a continuation of the current bill. Will the new bill offer real revenue assurance? You can bet that payment limits will again be the topic of debate. And don't forget the need to comply with WTO regulations. It all boils down to some tough decisions--in other words, not everyone will be happy.

Renewable fuels -- will only continue to play an increasingly important role for the U.S. farmer. Ethanol plants continue to be looked at as a revitalizing tool for some rural communities. Agricultural producers will seek opportunities to invest and farmers will benefit from additional competition for their grain. On the livestock side, cattlemen will be challenged with a changing feedstuffs market. As the corn market becomes tighter, alternative feedstuffs such as distillers grains will be critical.

Open markets for beef -- will be critical in the new year. While progress has been made in the past year, some markets that are "technically" open, are not "truly" open. It may take more than negotiating with these countries. It may end up that political retribution might needed before these countries follow reasonable scientific standards.

Conservation -- continues to be key for farmers and ranchers alike. What sort of funding will be granted to continue these programs? Will producers be able to comply and still operate their farm and ranch in a logical way? Can producers take advantage of an opportunity to balance a need to "be green" and a need to "earn green?"

There are many other key issues, but only time will tell how each affects farmers and ranchers. The key, however, is not to sit back and watch it all happen. Stay engaged. Stay informed. And do what you can to minimize your risk and take advantage of opportunity.

Holly Martin can be reached by phone at 1-800-452-7171 ext. 1806 or e-mail at hmartin@hpj.com.

Date: 12/27/06

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