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USDA officials stress 'no one will be left behind' with new farm bill |
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By MONETTE TAYLOR | South Central Texas Edition |
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January 23, 2003 -- "This farm program is extremely complicated. I don't mind telling you that it's probably one of the biggest challanges that any of us who are a 'little bit long in the tooth and face' have seen since we've been in this agency," said Ted Peabody of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) at a meeting held for producers on Jan. 15 in Victoria. A full cadre of USDA employees were present to make presentations in break-out sessions, along with general meetings to help producers better understand the Farm Bill 2002. "We're having this farm bill briefing, not to entertain ourselves, but for a very serious reason. Stated very simply - nobody, but nobody, in America will be left behind," said Lou Gallegos, USDA's assistant secretary for administration. This "leave no one behind" message was repeated throughout the day, along with the fact that the USDA is eager to make sure the information is disseminated so that producers can make "intelligent decisions," if they want to participate. "We think ... we believe deeply ... that we have something that's going to help somebody, so we call this, to some extent, outreach. That's just a word. Outreach means, to me, you really reach out and touch someone," added Gallegos. The fact that USDA has approximately 100,000 employees and has a $70 billion budget helps insure all agencies involved receive training to assist producers across the nation. In Peabody's opening remarks, he put the information into perspective. "There's no way we have time, in the next 40 to 45 minutes I'm going to spend with you, to fully explain all the features of the farm program. What we can do is help put the pieces of the puzzle together in such a way you understand what Farm Service Agency's role in that big piece of the pie is, and what our county office people do every day to try to serve the producers of the state and across the country," he explained. According to Peabody, the farm bill addresses one of the biggest industries in the country, and, at $1.5 trillion, is referred to as "part of the gross domestic product." He said 17 percent of the U.S. workforce is involved in the agriculture industry in some way, and that in Texas, alone, there is between $9-$12 billion in agricultural sales, second only to the petroleum industry. "The primary focus of what I do deals with the commodity programs. These are designed to make it possible for producers not only to grow their crops, but stay in business. Also, to make sure we have safe products from the field right to the grocery store or to the export market," Peabody added. The financial impact of the new farm bill will be $80 billion, reaching until 2007. To date, $9.2 billion has been paid out to producers, with $4 billion going to program compensations and $5 billion in livestock programs, he said. Since the new bill was signed in May of '02, $429 million has been disbursed in Texas. While the end of May is the last date to sign up for programs, Peabody said only 18 percent of the eligible producers across the nation have signed up, but in Texas the number is between 30 and 35 percent. "I will tell you that, depending on where you're located, and what county you do business in, we have a picture that's been painted that scares us to death, in some cases," he shared. In some areas of Texas, the sign-up is 55 to 75 percent complete, while others are only 3 to 5 percent completed. While the rules are complicated, there are more options than ever before for producers, Peabody added. Concerning marketing loans, peanuts, dairy products, honey, wool, mohair, peas and lentils are being added. The direct payment loans are adding soybeans and oilseeds. Long term, there is hope the farm prices will recover from record lows. The quota buyout for peanuts in Texas has reached $129 million, and the milk income loss compensation has been $17 million, to date. As usual, any personal questions concerning loans, etc., should be addressed to the USDA's Farm Service Agency (FSA) in the producer's area. While the sign-up usually takes around one hour, it can be done faster or require more time, according to individual situations. One major change involves the landowners. "Congress felt like landowners needed to be included in the decisions being made, with respect to how their farm will be farmed for the next seven years," said Peabody. In order to assure that this is done, Congress wrote into the program that the owners will be required to make designations of bases on farms and responsible to update yields, if they so choose, he added. If there is no request filed by April 1, the FSA will use the base acreages established under the previous farm program, according to Peabody. "This is the first time since the 1980s that you, as the producer, have had the opportunity to come in and update your base yields on our records," added Peabody. While answers to all questions are not yet available, he said they are expected to be by the middle of the year. During the keynote address by Thomas C. Dorr, USDA's under secretary for rural development, he added several other observations. "I hope these programs will give you access to both new ideas and resources for pursuing greater economic opportunity and a higher quality of life for you, for families and for communities," said Dorr. He said the new economic stimulus package President Bush presented, last week, could mean a $4 billion tax relief in the agricultural community in 2003, if it is passed by Congress. According to Dorr, Bush is very aware of the agriculture community and how it relates to his new Department of Homeland Security. "When he (Bush) created the new department, he recognized the critical importance of agriculture to America's homeland security. This new agency will bring together federal resources, including the USDA's border inspection and protection services, to ensure the safety and security of food, livestock ... all ag production in general," he explained. With the graying of American producers, and the shrinking of farmland, Dorr said Bush encourages the 58-60 million rural Americans to increase the economic opportunities for rural America, and to improve the quality of life; two things his new stimulus program could help achieve. In conclusion, Dorr quoted a line from the movie "The Field of Dreams," as a way to attract the younger generation "back on the farm." "If you build it, they will come." |
