Healthy soil and sustainable growing

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Senate passes veto-proof farm bill
http://www.theproducenews.com/StoryNews.cfm?ID=7813
05/16/2008

"labor shortages have forced 13,280 farms in the United States to shut down 
and relocate to Mexico in the last year"

WASHINGTON -- The day after the House of Representatives overwhelmingly 
passed the farm bill, the Senate approved the nearly $300 billion bill by a 
81- 15 vote, ensuring a veto-proof majority and securing a new voice for 
fruit and vegetable programs on Capitol Hill.

"This bill provides more funding for fruit and vegetable industry programs 
and priorities than any other farm bill in history, attention that is well 
deserved and has been long awaited and signals that the times are changing," 
said Produce Marketing Association President Bryan Silbermann.

"On behalf of vegetable, fruit and nut growers, I urge the president to sign 
this bill," said Tom Nassif, president and chief executive officer of Western 
Growers Association. "Specialty crop farmers have never sought direct 
subsidies even though we represent half of the total crop farmgate value in 
this country."

The farm bill includes some $3 billion in specialty crop priorities for 
nutrition, pest and disease programs, trade assistance, conservation and 
research. It also includes the country-of-origin labeling compromise that 
Kathy Means, PMA's vice president of government relations, said would reduce 
fines for retailers, minimize recordkeeping and allow state-sanctioned 
labeling programs such as Washington apples to satisfy labeling rules. Ms. 
Means said that the U.S. Department of Agriculture is planning to issue a 
rule on the farm bill program this summer.

Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) praised the new legislation. "From bringing 
healthier, American-grown food to our children and seniors, to supporting 
specialty crop growers who have been negatively affected by unfair trade 
practices, this legislation is a victory both for producers and consumers," 
said Sen. Stabenow, who was a leading voice in advocating specialty crop 
programs during farm bill negotiations.

Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer said that as promised, President Bush would 
veto the bill because it is "trade distorting and fails to provide meaningful 
reform to the adjusted gross income limit, beneficial interest or the 
international food aid program." If President Bush vetoes the bill, the House 
and Senate would need a two-thirds majority to override his veto, which would 
seem likely given the overwhelming votes in both chambers.


AgJOBS attached to war spending bill

While a boon to specialty crop programs, the farm bill is silent on the labor 
crisis ravaging the produce industry. But on the same day the farm bill 
sailed through the Senate, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) attached an emergency 
agricultural worker bill, known as AgJOBS, to the emergency spending bill for 
the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

That amendment would grant temporary, limited immigration status for 
experienced farmworkers who would be required to continue to work in American 
agriculture for the next five years, she said. Sen. Feinstein, who co- 
authored the amendment with Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID), said that labor 
shortages have forced 13,280 farms in the United States to shut down and 
relocate to Mexico in the last year.

"This is not amnesty," said the senator from California. "It is an emergency 
agricultural worker bill which will give protected status to those workers 
who have worked in agriculture within the last 48 months. They must work at 
least 100 days a year in agriculture for the next five years, and it includes 
a five- year sunset. This bill also reforms and streamlines the H-2A program."

The powerful Senate Appropriations Committee approved the amendment by a 
17-12 vote, but it is far from clear whether domestic spending matters will 
survive in an emergency war spending bill. The full Senate plans to take up 
the bill next week (May 19-23).

"For more than a year, I have tried to move this bill, and we have not been 
able to find a vehicle," said Sen. Feinstein. "This is an emergency 
situation."