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NCGA Congratulates President Bush on Farm Bill Signing
May
13, 2002
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Sam Willett, NCGA, 202-628-7001
Mimi Ricketts, NCGA, 636-733-9004, ext. 112
(WASHINGTON)
May 13, 2002 -- At 7:40 a.m. EDT today, President George W.
Bush signed the 2002 Farm Bill into law. The National Corn Growers
Association (NCGA) played an active role in the Farm Bill Process and
was
pleased to see the President take quick action by signing this legislation.
"Success
of farmers and ranchers is essential to success of the American
economy," Bush said during the signing ceremony. "This bill
is generous and
provides a safety net for farmers. It will do so without encouraging
overproduction and depressing prices."
Now
that the President has signed the legislation into law, the U.S.
Department of Agriculture will turn to the difficult task of implementing
the new policies and programs over the next few months.
NCGA
President Tim Hume, a corn grower from Walsh, Colo., said, "With
spring
planting under way, quick passage of the farm bill was critical. NCGA
thanks
the President for his prompt action in giving farmers an economic safety
net
for this crop year and looks with anticipation to the USDA as it begins
its
work implementing the bill."
The
new Farm Bill will:
· Stem the tide of unbudgeted ad hoc assistance that has been
required
year after year, including over $30 billion over the last four years,
· Fully maintain the market-oriented features of the 1996 Farm
Bill,
having minimal impact on price and production according to economic
analysis,
· Fully maintain the planting flexibility of the 1996 Farm Bill,
· Provide for the largest investment in conservation ever - fully
80
percent above the levels of the Boehlert conservation amendment to the
1996
Farm Bill, and
· Replace the 1996 Farm Bill that is set to expire on Sept. 30
of this
year.
Conservation
is a key part of the new Farm Bill. "The Conservation Security
Program is a new national incentive payment program that rewards producers
for maintaining and increasing farm and ranch stewardship practices,"
said
NCGA Director of Public Policy Sam Willett. "The Farm Bill will
invest $2
billion towards this program."
Also
in the area of conservation, the 2002 Farm Bill will increase federal
investment in soil and water programs by more than 80 percent above
current
programs levels. "This will provide growers with more options to
implement
progressive conservation practices on their land," said Willett,
"with the
backing of increased technical assistance to producers using government
or
private contractors."
He
also pointed out the 2002 Farm Bill will make all the needed changes
to
the Conservation Reserve Program and the Environmental Quality Incentives
Program to make them more usable and accessible to all producers in
all
regions of the country.
The
Bill also contains a first-ever Energy Title that includes a
continuation of the Commodity Credit Corporation Bioenergy program.
The
Energy Title also reauthorizes the Biomass Research and Development
Act
of 2000 through fiscal year 2007 and will create a new program where
federal
agencies give preference to purchasing biobased products, which should
help
energize emerging markets for these products.
Value-added
market development grants have also been expanded to meet
growers' interests in start-up farmer-owned value-added processing
facilities while establishing resource centers to assist producers in
value-added endeavors.
The
new bill, according to a recent analysis by the Food and Agriculture
Policy Research Institute, projects an increase in annual net farm income
by
an average of $3.8 billion. Conservation programs will contribute an
estimated $0.7 billion per year.
For
more information regarding this matter, please visit our website at
www.ncga.com.
# # #
The National Corn
Growers Association mission is to create and increase opportunities
for corn growers in a changing world and to enhance corn's profitability
and usage. NCGA represents more than 32,000 members, 25 affiliated state
corn grower organizations and hundreds of thousands of growers who contribute
to state checkoff programs.
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