January 14, 2008

ISSUE 1201

FARM BILL MOVING TOWARD CONFERENCE COMMITTEE

Saying he “wanted to get to this sooner rather than later,” House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson has met five times with acting Agriculture Secretary Chuck Conner in the past two weeks to discuss the farm bill.

Senate Agriculture Chairman Tom Harkin will chair the Conference Committee proceedings once the House and Senate sessions begin., but has been in Africa focusing on other issues during the past week. The House reconvenes Jan. 15, the Senate Jan. 22.

Chairman Peterson told reporters it is unclear whether the White House will consider any funding source that raises additional revenue, but he said he told Secretary Conner that if the administration wins on farm policies, it should consider allowing increased funding to pay for more spending on nutrition and fruits and vegetables.

Peterson said his staff's analysis shows that the administration proposal would have increased spending on nutrition and fruit and vegetable programs by $600 million over 10 years, while the House bill increases those programs by $11.1 billion.

Peterson said he has told administration officials that a bill that increases nutrition and fruit and vegetable spending by $600 million over 10 years would not pass either the House or the Senate.

Meanwhile, the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance, co-chaired by FFVA President Mike Stuart, has drafted a revised side-by-side comparison of the House and Senate farm bill specialty crop provisions with its recommen-dations to date.

The group has not yet developed a position on three issues (planting flex, tree assistance, and disaster assistance), but the latest draft will serve as a guidance document for them to use when speaking with Congressional staff and allies during the Conference Committee process.