Rea Landholm, gerente de marketing y comunicaciones de marca, [email protected], 402.687.2100 extensión 1025
Lyons, Neb. - Center for Rural Affairs Policy Associate Anna Johnson said today that the released draft of the Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018, commonly known as the farm bill, has several proposals of concern for rural America. The draft bill was released yesterday by the House Agriculture Committee. The current farm bill expires Sept. 30, 2018.
“The House farm bill is a nonstarter,” said Johnson. “It completely eliminates the popular Conservation Stewardship Program that currently protects 70 million acres nationwide. It wipes out funding for the Value-Added Producer Grant Program and the Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program, two programs that support new enterprise creation in rural America. And it fails to put any sort of cap on unlimited crop insurance subsidies for the largest farms.”
Johnson continued on the subject of crop insurance premium subsidies.
“Structural reforms of this nature, that put common-sense limits on subsidies to only the largest operations, are needed to level the playing field for all farmers. The House Agriculture Committee’s decision to ignore these needed changes indicates an unfortunate reluctance to do what is right for our small and mid-sized farmers.”
La propuesta de eliminación del Programa de Administración de la Conservación supondría la desaparición del mayor programa de conservación de tierras productivas de Estados Unidos. Este programa ofrece a los agricultores y ganaderos que puedan demostrar la existencia de prácticas de administración de tierras adecuadas la oportunidad de mejorarlas y ampliarlas a toda su explotación. El programa hace hincapié en las prácticas de conservación que protegen los recursos naturales, como la erosión del suelo y la calidad del agua.
“Terminating the Conservation Stewardship Program undermines farmers’ and ranchers’ abilities to implement conservation practices on their land,” said Johnson. “Hundreds of farmers from around the Midwest have shared with us how important Conservation Stewardship Program is to their operations and stewardship efforts. Ending the program, along with the more than $7 billion in proposed cuts to other working lands conservation programs, would strike a serious blow to farmers’ and ranchers’ abilities to better steward their soil and water.”
Los miembros del Comité de Agricultura de la Cámara de Representantes describen los cambios propuestos al seguro de cosechas como menores.
“This is a missed opportunity to create a stronger connection between conservation and crop insurance,” Johnson said. “Offering higher subsidies for higher levels of stewardship would make crop insurance more accountable to taxpayers and reduce risks for farmers – these measures would go a long way toward creating further support for conservation.”
El proyecto de ley también propone cambios en varios programas que apoyan a los agricultores principiantes, el desarrollo rural, la producción de valor agregado y a los emprendedores rurales.
“Seeing level funding in the bill for the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program, the Outreach and Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged and Veteran Farmers and Ranchers Program, and the Conservation Reserve Program – Transition Incentive Program is encouraging,” Johnson said. “However, the bill eliminates mandatory funding for the Value-Added Producer Program and the Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program, which is a step towards disinvesting in rural small businesses. The similar decision to not renew organic cost-share program funding also undermines farmers’ and ranchers’ abilities to certify as organic and access the higher price points that organic products provide.”
El Comité de Agricultura de la Cámara de Representantes revisará este borrador durante una reunión denominada "sesión de enmiendas", anunciada por el representante Mike Conaway (republicano de Texas), presidente del comité, programada para las 10:00 a. m. (hora del este) del miércoles 18 de abril de 2018.
“We hope the House of Representatives can make needed amendments to improve this bill, restore these valuable programs, and reach bipartisan agreement,” said Johnson.
