The Associated Press
WASHINGTON -
Dakotas senators got almost everything they wanted in the Senate
farm bill, which was approved by the Senate Agriculture Committee
on Thursday.
The bill would
boost target prices and loan rates for a variety of crops grown in
North Dakota and South Dakota - including wheat, barley, oats,
soybeans and minor oilseeds - when prices are low. It would require
country-of-origin labels on meats and other foods, a priority for
Dakotas farmers who compete with Canadian cattle ranchers. And it
would maintain the current subsidy system, which has treated
Dakotas farmers well in recent years.
"It's got all of
the elements we're trying to achieve," said North Dakota Sen.
Kent Conrad, a Democrat who helped write the bill with
Senate Agriculture Chairman Tom Harkin of Iowa.
"This bill is
really about making sure we have secure, domestic sources of food
and energy," Conrad said.
South Dakota Sen.
John Thune, a Republican who is also on the committee, said the
legislation "should continue to move South Dakota's food, fiber and
now fuel producers forward."
The committee
adopted several amendments sponsored by Thune, including provisions
that would prevent the closure of Farm Service Agency offices and
encourage the use of cellulosic ethanol made from feedstocks such
as switchgrass and wood chips.
Thune also
successfully pushed language that would preserve current rules for
farmers' loan deficiency payments and require the Department of
Agriculture to purchase and distribute locally grown food produced
by American Indians.
The bill also
would:
n Include a
compromise that would allow some small meat plants to sell their
products across state lines, a priority for the North Dakota
Department of Agriculture;
n Ban meatpacker
ownership of livestock for two weeks before slaughter, a priority
for High Plains ranchers who own smaller ranches and are hoping to
stem competition from larger companies;
n Create a program
to sell excess sugar to ethanol producers and increase beet sugar
storage and sugar loan rates;
n Increase spending
for some conservation programs.
The Senate Finance
Committee passed farm legislation earlier this month that would add
extra money to the agriculture committee bill, including $5 billion
in weather-related agricultural disaster aid. That has also been a
top priority for Dakotas farmers, who have suffered many losses due
to drought in recent years.
Sen. Byron Dorgan,
D-N.D., also praised the bill but said he plans to offer an
amendment that would reduce subsidies for wealthy farmers. His
legislation would seek to cap overall payments at $250,000 a year.
They are currently capped at $360,000.
Sen. Tim Johnson,
D-S.D., said he would support Dorgan's amendment. But he also
commended the committee.
"This bill is a
solid step in the right direction," he said.
The House passed a
similar version of the farm bill in July.
