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Policy analyst to FB members: Time is ripe for farm billIf Congress fails to finalize a farm bill in the near future, farmers and ranchers could see the programs they depend on pushed to the back of a long and difficult policy to-do list. Among the issues that could sidetrack lawmakers are Social Security, health care costs and tax cuts, farm policy expert Jim Wiesemeyer warned Sunday at the American Farm Bureau Federation's 89th annual convention. Wiesemeyer serves as vice president of policy and trade issues for Informa Economics, Inc. He's also a consultant to Pro Farmer. "Get a farm bill done now," Wiesemeyer said, adding that a shrinking budget baseline and a growing national deficit also pose threats. In 2007, the House and Senate passed separate farm bills. Both were frowned upon by President George W. Bush, who took specific issue with the cost of both bills and the inclusion of tax increases to pay for some of the spending. Bush threatened to veto any farm policy package with what he considers too steep of a price tag or that includes tax increases. However, before the legislation gets to Bush's desk, House and Senate negotiators have to bridge the considerable gaps between their respective farm bills to create a single measure approved by both chambers. Wiesemeyer, pointing out that Bush has made good on previous veto threats, said that with tax increases off the table, one of the critical issues that lawmakers will have to compromise on in a final bill is how to pay for it. Predicting across-the-board budget cuts, Congress will have to choose where to trim, he said. Possible reductions could be in store for direct payments, countercyclical payments, crop insurance and a disaster program, while programs related to nutrition, conservation, specialty crops and energy could get a boost. Likely to be included in the final bill is an extension of the Milk Income Loss Contract program, a provision to allow the interstate shipment of state-inspected meat and country-of-origin labeling. A ban on packer ownership of livestock, which is included in the Senate version, might not make the cut, Wiesemeyer said. In addition, Wiesemeyer touched on a handful of issues that won't have direct bearing on the farm bill, but will certainly be getting attention, both inside the Beltway and in farm country. Among them are the likely explosion of advanced biofuels--those beyond corn ethanol and biodiesel--and future World Trade Organization challenges to U.S. farm programs, which he predicted are sure to come. Rising food prices could also soon garner Congress' attention. "You will hear from government analysts about why food prices are going up," Wiesemeyer said. "Food price inflation will become an increasing issue. Pressure for policy change will grow with every uptick on the commodity [price] chart." Listen to a complete audio file of this conference session, as well as others when they become available, at ://farmbureau.feedroom.com.
Date: 2/8/08
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