[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 84 (Tuesday, May 22, 2007)]
[House]
[Page H5535]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          FARM BILL/FOOD BILL

  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
  The farm bill is described as the most important legislation that 
most of America ignores. It's big, complex and involves lots of money 
all over the country, but the details are not well known. One of the 
reasons might be the name. We call it a farm bill. But it could and 
perhaps should be called a food bill, because that is what it is.
  Many people do not understand that the farm bill isn't just about 
farmers. It is a bill that funds food stamps, nutritional programs and 
farmers' markets. The programs we're talking about all impact rural, 
urban and suburban families alike.
  Currently, our farm programs provide too little help to the majority 
of American farmers and ranchers. The majority of commodity payments go 
to a few large-scale farm operations with only 40 percent of the 
farmers receiving any commodity payments at all. My State of Oregon is 
an example. Even though it is a major agricultural producer, it really 
doesn't benefit that much from the farm bill.
  With the 2007 farm bill reauthorization, we have a chance to make 
dramatic reforms in American agricultural policy by crafting forward-
looking policies to help farmers manage the transition to a new farm 
economy. I would suggest some basic principles for strengthening the 
farm bill so that we ensure the future of American agriculture by 
giving small farmers the increased markets they need, a dependable 
workforce, the ability to pass their farms and heritage on to the next 
generation, and be protected from urban sprawl.
  Farm workers also need safe, family wage jobs, and rural communities 
need a stronger economy. We need to provide safe access to nutrition 
and reliable foods to all Americans, especially the most vulnerable 
members of our communities; children, the elderly and the poor.
  We need to increase the health and safety of our communities by 
improving access to local markets that can improve farmers' revenues, 
improve rural economies, and strengthen the vital connections between 
urban and rural communities. We can have programs to reimburse farmers 
for providing environmental services such as flood control, carbon 
sinks and wildlife habitat. This can help reduce global warming, 
increase communities' resilience to natural events, and give farmers 
the opportunity to diversify their revenue stream.
  In short, we can move American agriculture into the 21st century by 
not being devoted to policies from the last 200 years.
  To that end, I have recently introduced the Local Food and Farm 
Support Act to connect local farms to schools to provide healthy food 
choices for children and promoting a stronger local farm economy by 
providing funding and programs that connect farmers with local markets, 
including school to cafeteria programs, and the promotion of farmers' 
markets. This legislation would provide grants to farmers to explore 
innovative new ways to connect to local markets and increase food 
assistance for senior and low-income families.
  Mr. Speaker, I could just as easily talk about the farm bill as being 
the most important piece of environmental legislation we will consider 
in this Congress, because the potential for energy with biomass and 
wind, greenhouse gas reduction and energy conservation all enable us to 
reduce the carbon and energy footprint of America's vast agricultural 
landscape. In the area of water, a sound farm bill is the best and most 
cost-effective way to improve the quality and quantity of water across 
America, and of course it is essential to land preservation.
  This is why we all need to pay attention to this critical 
legislation. Every Member of Congress should deal with the challenge to 
work with America's farmers and ranchers to produce agricultural 
legislation that meets the needs of America in the 21st century.




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