Farm bill veto

Bill has money for programs that would help the Basin

By DD BIXBY

H&N Staff Writer

May 22, 2008

   The House quickly rejected President Bush’s veto Wednesday of a $290 billion farm bill, and the Senate was poised to do so today. 

   The 2007 farm bill is seven months overdue. Unlike its 2002 predecessor, it doesn’t contain specific funds for the Klamath Basin , but it provides money for programs of special interest here, specifically watershed enhancement. 

   The leg islation also includes election-year subsidies for farmers and food stamps for the poor. 

   About two-thirds of the bill would pay for nutrition programs such as food stamps; about $40 billion is for farm subsidies; and an additional $30 billion would go to farmers to idle their land and to other environmental programs. 

   Hours before the House’s 316 -108 override vote, Bush vetoed the five-year measure, saying it was too expensive and gave too much money to wealthy farmers when farm incomes are high. 

   The bill would make small cuts to direct payments, which are distributed to some farmers no matter how much they grow. It also would eliminate some payments to individuals with more than $750,000 in annual farm income — or married farmers who make more than $1.5 million.

Sorting it out

   Klamath Basin Research and Extension Center director Willie Riggs called the bill a “healthy piece of legislation” for the Klamath Basin and Oregon , but said it would be a while before its exact implications become clear. 

   Jennifer Simon, executive director at Klamath Farm Service Agency, on Wednesday still didn’t know what the farm bill might mean for Klamath County . 

   The agency typically pays out $1 to $2 million for its programs, but without an active farm bill, the office has been quiet because there are no programs for farmers. 

   The 20 02 farm bill expired in September, and lawmakers have been working for seven months to pass the new one.

Pros and cons

   She guessed the 2007 farm bill would flesh out languishing programs, allowing for larger payments to producers, helping widen slim margins caused by skyrocketing costs. 

   But, she said, there may also be producers who aren’t eligible for the bill’s programs because of crops, income limits and other changes are not clear at this time. 

   Modoc County Farm Service Agency director Chris Lauppe said Tuesday he wasn’t waiting with bated breath. 

   “When it comes, it comes,” he said. “We’ve had some producers call, but the money they get from here doesn’t make or break their operations.” 

   Waiting game 

   Lauppe also said that an override vote might not end the waiting game because changes would have to be made to current programs and new handbooks would have to be written. 

   When programs and dollars finally make it to Modoc County , the share would be likely be small. The county typically receives less than $1 million for all programs. 

   “We’re not getting big and excited about it,” he said. “We know there’s going to be something and we’re here to implement it. Nobody’s retiring at Modoc County because of the farm bill.”

Side Bars

The farm bill and Oregon

  U.S. Sen. Gordon Smith, R-Ore., released a statement last week with a list of farm bill programs that would impact Oregonians:

The bill includes:

n $3.8 billion in additional funding for the Permanent Disaster Trust Fund.
n $1.3 billion to encourage innovation and specialization in farming.
n $8 billion in new funding for conservation. 
n $1 billion for investment in future fuels — biomass, cellulosic and biofuels — moving away from corn-based fuels that affect dairy and cattle industries. 
n $75 million in grants, loans and incentives to help new farmers and ranchers. 
n $170 million in emergency funding for communities impacted by the closure of the salmon season.

Mixup throws override in doubt

   WASHINGTON (AP) — Action on the farm bill stalled Wednesday after the discovery that Congress omitted a 34-page section of the bill when lawmakers sent the massive measure to the White House. House Democrats hoped to pass the entire bill, again, today under expedited rules usually reserved for unopposed legislation. 

   The Senate was expected to follow suit.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, any copyrighted
material  herein is distributed without profit or payment to those who have
expressed  a  prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit
research and  educational purposes only. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml

Source:  http://pioneer.olivesoftware.com/Daily/Skins/heraldandnews/

navigator.asp?skin=heraldandnews