Market Farming

["Brenton Johnson" <BHJohnson AT gp.usbr.gov>]

One thing that I noted on the house version is that it reduces the loan
limits available from the Farm Services Agency.  Currently one can
borrow up to $200k for land and up to $200k for equipment.  The new bill
reduces the loan limit to $300,000 and makes it available for either
land or equipment.

Please plan to attend our potluck and open house Saturday November 3rd
from 1-till dark.

Brenton
www.johnsonsbackyardgarden.com 

ps.  I will be starting to farm full time and no longer working a
government day job in the next couple of months.  

>>> gjbrever AT midwestinfo.net 08/22/07 11:15 AM >>>
On Friday I had an editorial in our newspaper about the new farm bill. 
In 
today's editorial there is a letter from Collin Peterson ( a rebuttal
to my 
letter, I do not know).  Anyone have any opinions to the Congressman's

words?  I see some small nuggets in the farm bill, including country of

orgin labeling.  However, thus far it seems to just be more of the 
same--subsidies for the wealthy farmers.
--Gary

By Congressman Collin Peterson


The United States has an excellent system of independent family
farmers. 
Survival of the family farm is critical to the future economic
viability of 
rural America, and across the nation, strong family farms mean food
safety 
and security, at a low cost to consumers.

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In the years I've served Minnesota's Seventh District in Congress, few

moments have been as important to rural America as last week's passage
of a 
new Farm Bill in the U.S. House of Representatives.


As chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, I have been given an 
opportunity, and a challenging mission, in crafting a Farm Bill that is

representative of and good for the entire country.


While one or two distracting issues in the Farm Bill debate made
headlines, 
such as payment limits and false claims of tax increases, the bill we
passed 
in the House on July 27 was a true compromise among commodity groups, 
regional interests, and conservation advocates, to name a few.


One of the best decisions I've made as chairman was to open up the
process 
and give members of the Agriculture Committee an opportunity to gather
input 
from their constituencies and use their expertise to write their
respective 
sections of the bill.


What we ultimately agreed on, in a bipartisan fashion, was a strong
Farm 
Bill that addresses concerns of producers, nutrition and conservation 
advocates, and renewable energy efforts.


Mandatory Country of Origin Labeling, or COOL, for fruit, vegetables
and 
meat is, in my opinion, one of the most important pieces of this farm
bill 
that has impacted consumers in decades. This legislation says that when
you 
shop for steak, it will have a label to tell you if it came from China
or if 
it came from Minnesota. If you buy strawberries, the label will tell
you if 
they were grown in California or Mexico.


Given a choice, most consumers will buy U.S. grown meat, fruits and 
vegetables, especially in light of recent problems with food imported
from 
China.


This House Farm Bill also makes historic investments in fruit and
vegetable 
production, conservation, nutrition and renewable energy while
maintaining a 
strong safety net for America's farmers and ranchers.


The bill strengthens and enhances the food stamp program by reforming 
benefit rules to improve coverage of food costs and expand access to
the 
program with additional funding support.


We addressed rural economic development by including key provisions
that 
invest in rural communities nationwide, including economic development

programs and access to broadband telecommunication services.


We addressed important reforms by strengthening payment limits to
ensure 
that non-farmers making more than $500,000 (adjusted gross income) can
no 
longer collect conservation and farm program payments, and closing
loopholes 
that allow people to avoid payment limits by receiving money through 
multiple business units.


Conservation funding was increased significantly by extending and
making 
critical new investments in popular conservation programs, including
the 
Conservation Reserve Program, Wetlands Reserve Program, Environmental 
Quality Incentive Program, Farm and Ranchland Protection Program, and
many 
others.


Finally, we created a new energy title to make important new
investments in 
renewable energy research, development and production in rural
America.


On July 27, The House of Representatives passed the 2007 Farm Bill by a
vote 
of 231-191. American consumers got a heck of a deal.


. . .


Peterson is Chairman of the U.S. House Agriculture Committee and is
serving 
his ninth term in Congress. He is a Democrat from Detroit Lakes.