Kline Supports Farm Bill

Press Release

Congressman John Kline supported the Farm Bill that passed this week in the U.S. House of Representatives. The "Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008," which includes major reform, promotes conservation, and encourages and expands renewable energy, also passed in the U.S. Senate this week and has been sent to the President's desk.

"Our nation's farmers needed new agriculture policy and this Farm Bill makes historic investments in our food and farm economy," Kline said. "The new Farm Bill will ensure Minnesota farmers continue to play a leading role in putting food on our tables, and help promote conservation efforts, and preserve our critical habitat."

Kline, who in March met in New Prague with his Agriculture Advisory Board to discuss the Farm Bill, supported the agriculture provisions in this bipartisan legislation. Major reforms in the "Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008" included:

- Placing a hard cap on subsidies for the wealthiest land owners and ensuring funds are available for America's small farmers who face economic uncertainties.
- Increasing our commitment to conservation by increasing funding for working lands programs, including the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), and the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP). The CSP, for example, promotes new conservation, while simultaneously rewarding producers for achieving high levels of stewardship and addressing priority resource concerns in their area.
- Focusing on renewable energy, which considering the rising cost of gasoline, continues to be vitally important. The Farm Bill helps shift emphasis from corn-based ethanol to cellulosic biofuels that can be produced from agricultural waste, wood chips, switch grass, and other non-food feedstocks.

"While I supported this legislation, I remain concerned about the cost of this bill, which includes Depression-era Davis-Bacon provisions," said Kline, who helps manage a southeastern Minnesota farm that has been in the family for 150 years. "Unfortunately, the Farm Bill also includes a disproportionate increase for non-agricultural programs, as well as numerous wasteful pork-barrel projects."

In his third term in Congress, Kline is a member of the House Ethics Committee, Armed Services Committee, and the Education and Labor Committee.

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