[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 123 (Monday, July 30, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1649]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               FARM, NUTRITION, AND BIOENERGY ACT OF 2007

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                             HON. TOM UDALL

                             of new mexico

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 27, 2007

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 2419) to 
     provide for the continuation of agricultural programs through 
     fiscal year 2012, and for other purposes:

  Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. Chairman, today we vote on one of the 
most critical bills that will come to the floor during the 110th 
Congress. While essential to farmers and ranchers across the Nation, 
the Farm Bill also impacts each one of us. Its provisions directly 
affect school children in this Nation and others, seniors and families 
struggling to live on fixed incomes, wildlife and wilderness, and 
international farmers struggling to become viable participants in a 
global marketplace.
  I applaud Chairman Peterson and the Agriculture Committee for their 
tireless efforts to produce a compromise bill that dissolves partisan 
boundaries, and improves upon the 2002 Farm Bill authorization. The 
bill takes modest steps towards improving commodity programs, by 
preventing the most wealthy from exploiting this safety net meant for 
assisting ranchers and farmers whose livelihoods precariously teeter at 
the mercy of climate and market fluctuation.
  The committee's bill extends and modestly increases funding for 
effective conservation and food security programs. Conservation 
programs help farmers to manage their lands in a sustainable manner 
that positively impacts wildlife, watersheds, and open spaces. 
Nutrition programs included in the bill bolster the fruits and 
vegetables industry, by increasing fresh food supplements for schools, 
children, families, and seniors.
  The 2007 Farm Bill also takes initial steps towards redistributing 
commodity programs to those who need them most. The bill's 
authorization of new funding for organic farmers, specialty crops, and 
farmer's markets will assist small farmers in meeting organic standards 
and in getting their products into local markets.
  I applaud the committee for initiating this redistribution of 
commodity programs and taking unprecedented steps towards expanding 
funding, outreach, and technical assistance for socially disadvantaged, 
beginning, and minority farmers. The committee's effort in this area 
brings the issue of the 2002 Farm Bill's exceptional lack of support 
for socially disadvantaged, beginning, and minority farmers to light. 
While an improvement, the bill could do more to affect real change in 
this area.
  One quarter of all farmers participate in commodity programs. Of 
these, just 10 percent receive 75 percent of all commodity subsidies. 
Congress must readjust the reach of the farm bill. Too many minority 
farmers lack access to USDA programs, too many farmworkers 
transitioning into farm owners lack access to federal safety nets that 
would help them get on their feet, and too many socially disadvantaged 
farmers lack access to the tools that would help them maneuver through 
the maze of commodity programs.
  With the reauthorization of the Farm Bill, Congress has the 
opportunity to make monumental changes to the distribution of 
agricultural and conservation programs. The Kind amendment would have 
brought such monumental changes to our Nation's agricultural sector and 
to the world economy. By gradually removing depression-era subsidies 
that have turned from a safety net into a security blanket, the Kind 
amendment would have lowered the federal deficit and redirected money 
into nutrition, food insecurity, and conservation programs at rates 
much greater than those outlined in the Farm Bill we are voting on 
today. The Kind amendment would have almost tripled funding for 
outreach and technical assistance for socially disadvantaged and 
beginning farmers, and would have put a moratorium on foreclosures on 
farms owned by socially-disadvantaged farmers and ranchers while 
creating a commission to investigate the causes of foreclosure.
  I am proud to have supported the Kind amendment and hope that such 
comprehensive reform will be possible in the future. Nevertheless, I am 
pleased that the Agriculture Committee has at least taken initial steps 
in the direction of reform, and I will vote in support of their 2007 
Farm Bill.

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