NCGA, Coalition Partners Urge Budget Committees to Avoid Reopening
Farm Bill (03-09-05)
The National Corn Growers
Association (NCGA) is part of a diverse coalition of agriculture,
nutrition and conservation organizations that joined together this
week to urge the House and Senate Budget Committees to avoid opening
the 2002 farm bill to reconcile the federal budget.
In a March 8 letter to
Senate Budget Committee Chairman Judd Gregg and House Budget Chairman
Jim Nussle, the groups underscore the importance of the mandatory
programs administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, such
as commodity, conservation, crop insurance, export promotion programs,
nutrition, forestry and other valuable programs. These programs
are of enormous importance to farmers, ranchers, rural businesses,
low-income Americans and the nation's children, the letter says.
The coalition letter
notes that the farm bill enacted in 2002 followed two years of exhaustive
debate in the House and Senate. The letter continues, “The
new farm law represents a delicate balance by effectively addressing
the stability of our agricultural production base, protecting our
important natural resources, enhancing nutrition and food assistance
programs in our Nation, and providing adequate research funding
for our future.”
NCGA’s long-standing
policy is to support the funding of farm bill programs at authorized
levels. NCGA also opposes reopening the farm bill before its expiration
in 2007.
“NCGA firmly believes
altering the 2002 farm bill before its expiration in two years is
not only short sighted, but inequitable,” said Sam Willett,
senior director of policy. “We must have the consistency for
our grower members who have already made long term financial commitments
based on the 2002 Farm Bill,”
The letter was signed
by 218 agriculture-related organizations.
According to Willett,
NCGA continues to voice a strong message of support for the 2002
farm bill prior to the House and Senate Budget Committees beginning
their markups of the FY 2006 Budget Resolution later today.
To read the coalition
letter, click here.