Agriculture industry begins discussions for 2007 Farm Bill

Constituents already giving input to government

COLUMBIA BASIN — Even though legislators recently began meeting to discuss this year's issues, some people in the agriculture industry are already turning their attention toward the 2007 Farm Bill.

Keira Franz, director of legislative affairs for the United Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Association, explained that the bill is a comprehensive piece of legislation passed every five years by Congress. The bill authorizes agricultural programs and money for those programs, Franz explained, which can be discretionary or entitlement programs.

The bill includes a variety of different titles, including commodities, research, nutrition and is generated by the House and Senate agriculture committees.

"Generally, it's a comprehensive approach for how do we improve competitiveness at the local producer level, and to generate markets," she said, noting that issues can include increasing consumption of fruits and vegetables, exporting and reaching foreign markets, pest or disease issues, new technology or be assigned to a specific commodity.

Franz said the "long process" of getting the bill passed is beginning now, with the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture holding sessions around the country to hear from constituents' input.

"Right now in the current Farm Bill, about 92 percent of all of the commodity spending went to only five crops, which represents about a third of the growers in the U.S.," Washington State Potato Commission Executive Director Chris Voigt said, noting it means a large portion of the Washington agriculture industry has been left out of the bill, including such specialty crops as fruits, vegetables and nursery production. "We're going to Congress this year to ask for some equal treatment, essentially."

Voigt hastened to say that potato industry never wants to be a program crop where growers are receiving subsidies, since they are free traders who believe in a free market economy. But there are certain things the Farm Bill can do for growers.

"Right now there is a restriction on what's called flex acres, so for example, a soybean grower cannot start planting vegetables on ground that had soybeans and still collect a soybean payment and still produce vegetables," Voigt said. "We want to make sure that that stays in the Farm Bill, but there are discussions about trying to eliminate that."

Such a move would put growers at a competitive disadvantage, Voigt said, because program crop growers could begin growing vegetables and still receive a subsidy payment, whereas potato growers would not.

The farm bill could also help in international trade, such as supporting the Market Access Program funds, promotional dollars the government gives agriculture to promote products in foreign markets, and strengthening the Animal Plant Health Inspection Service, which educates foreign markets afraid of accepting Washington potatoes for fear of pests or diseases.

Growers are also asking for specialty crop grants, Voigt said, with the government giving states with specialty crops a portion of money so that the state can support the industries within.

"So they could either promote Washington potatoes or help us with research projects, just really a multitude of things," Voigt said. "It's important that the states have some discretion on how to use those funds. We don't want it to be a federal program just because there's so many specialty crops out there. It only makes sense to just give the money to the state, and let the state decide on a local level how to distribute those dollars."

Voigt said it looks promising for these issues.

"Right now, Congress has kind of started the discussions on it, so we'll see how it all plays out, but that's probably going to be the biggest legislative thing we address this year," he said.

"The Farm Bill is clearly very important for Washington state, the 11th largest agriculture state in the nation," said Alex Glass, communications director for Sen. Patty Murray. "Agriculture is the largest employer. Reauthorization of the bill is critically important."

Glass said Murray's top priorities for the bill include more resources for specialty crops, increasing the U.S. Department of Agriculture's involvement in eliminating trade barriers and issues to expand marketing and other efforts for the state's agriculture, helping farmers pursue alternative crops and working on conservation programs to benefit farmers in "the best possible way."

"The Farm Bill provides the resources for farmers and rural communities, and has a major effect on Washington state's crops, especially in light of the fact so many are facing the most difficult times they've seen, with high fuel prices, high fertilizer costs and foreign competition," Glass said. "(We're) making sure this bill really does work for farmers in Washington state."