Farm bill faces more challenges in the Senate in September

August 1, 2007 — Annamaria Castiglia

The U.S. pork industry and other agricultural organizations are turning their sights on the U.S. Senate now that the House has approved its version of the 2007 Farm Bill.

The Senate Agriculture Committee is expected to take up its Farm Bill the week of September 17, with Senate floor action to begin (possibly) the week of September 23.

The $286 billion, five-year Farm, Nutrition, and Bioenergy Act of 2007 makes moderate and balanced reforms to U.S. farm policy yet maintains a safety net for farmers and livestock producers and expands investments in conservation, nutrition and renewable energy programs.

The legislation includes conservation and energy titles that recognize pork producers' role in protecting the environment and in contributing - through, for example, technologies to convert methane to energy - to the country's energy security and provides a boost to U.S. pork exports by increasing funds for the Market Access Program. It also maintains baseline funding for the commodity and conservation titles; reauthorizes the farm safety-net components; keeps loan rates, counter-cyclical and direct payments in accord with the 2002 Farm Bill; increases funding for conservation programs such as the Environmental Quality Incentives Program; and includes much-needed fixes to the Mandatory Country-of-Origin Labeling law

The Senate bill may be strikingly different. NPPC is asking pork producers and those involved in the U.S. pork industry to weigh in with their senators, urging them to approve a Farm Bill that strengthens the pork industry's competitiveness in the global marketplace and that protects pork producers from initiatives that could be detrimental to the industry, such as a mandate on production practices or a ban on certain antibiotics.

NPPC is asking those interested in commenting on this issue to visit the Legislative Action Center of NPPC's Web site - and make your voice heard on the 2007 Farm Bill. Here's how to send a letter to your senators and representatives:

1. Log on to NPPC.
2. Click the Legislative Action Center button located on the left side of the screen.
3. Click the link for "New? Register Here" and enter your profile information.
4. Your log-in from this point forward will be your e-mail address.
5. Choose your legislator.
6. Once you have entered your profile, you can take action by clicking the federal issue tab.
7. Here you will find the legislative letters already drafted.
8. These letters have been developed for pork producers, so as veterinarians, nutritionists, etc. you will have to edit the letters or just write your own thoughts.
9. If you decide to use the existing letters, highlight the second sentence in the producers letter to the last word in the text and copy the text.
10. Choose the prompt for blank letter space.
11. Paste the copied text into the blank letter space.
12. Include your own personal introductory sentence.
13. Click send. Your opinion is important so please let your representative know how you feel.

If you have any questions, please call Dr. Annamaria Castiglia at NPPC at (202) 347-3600

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Annamaria Castiglia, Director Science and Technology, NPPC