The Hill - 2012 Farm Bill: Impacting Americans From All Walks of Life

Op-Ed

Agriculture has remained a bright spot in our economy, even throughout the recent downturn. Farm income has grown in the last couple of years and exports are now at record levels. This has boosted job growth within the industry and allowed U.S. agriculture to continue to support hundreds of thousands of jobs both directly and indirectly. In my state of Wisconsin, the dairy and timber sectors are significant economic engines, but the fruit and vegetable farms that dot my District are equally important. They provide jobs and constitute the livelihoods of many families throughout my District and Wisconsin, and I will make sure that they too have a voice in the outcome of the 2012 Farm Bill.

To maintain a prosperous agricultural economy and provide our farmers with much-needed certainty, it is essential that we move forward with the 2012 Farm Bill. This year's bill is historic in multiple ways -- our Farm Bill will reduce federal spending by more than $30 billion and replace direct subsidies with more market-based options for farmers.

Wisconsin's dairy farming sector will prosper and grow as we eliminate outdated price supports and export subsidy programs. The 2012 Farm Bill will instead provide dairy producers with valuable risk management tools. We are working to provide the dairy industry with a better safety net to weather the tough years and help to prevent another crisis like the one farmers experienced in 2009. The Dairy Title has been the source of much debate, both here in Washington and at home in Wisconsin. I am working with my colleagues across regions and party lines to develop a competitive safety net for dairy farmers that include shared risk through margin insurance and reduction of taxpayer assistance - all without placing an undue burden on dairy manufacturers.

Along similar lines, our bill will eliminate the direct subsidy payments that have been issued to grain farmers even when commodity prices are high. Instead, we will turn to crop insurance as the cornerstone of our farm safety net. Most Wisconsin farmers agree that the program works well for them and provides the coverage they need in the event of a natural disaster or a significant crop loss. In an era of fiscal discipline, we must rely on programs in which the farmer shares in some of the risk, and the crop insurance program ensures just that.

The 2012 Farm Bill also reauthorizes and improves the forestry and conservation policies important to many landowners in northeast Wisconsin. Our timber sector provides raw materials to paper mills, and saw mills for construction lumber and flooring, so I'm pleased that our bill continues important forest stewardship programs while also reducing obstacles to timber harvesting in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest -- and that provides jobs right in Wisconsin. While much remains to be done, the bill's Conservation programs will help ease the regulatory burden facing many Wisconsin farmers and landowners.

Importantly, our Farm Bill will continue the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), historically known as the food stamp program. SNAP helps to supplement the food budget for low-income American families, providing the most support during devastating economic downturns. In the 2012 Farm Bill, we will work to reduce fraud, abuse and duplication to find savings within SNAP, while also ensuring that the program's focus will be to assist the millions of children and families in need.

One thing I've learned while serving on the Agriculture Committee is that we often focus on regional, rather than partisan, issues. In my case, northeast Wisconsin boasts a growing organic industry, along with many cranberry and potato producers that add to our economy. I look forward to advocating for the agricultural research and trade promotion programs that have helped our fruit and vegetable growers make great strides in recent years, and for the organic programs that serve a rapidly growing market.

Across all areas, our Farm Bill will streamline and consolidate existing programs, from dairy to conservation to research.As we work to pare down the federal budget and get our fiscal house in order, the Agriculture Committee will contribute by improving program efficiencies and eliminating waste wherever possible.

The clock is ticking as the current Farm Bill expires on September 30, so I am pleased that the House Agriculture Committee is slated to act in the coming weeks. The 2012 Farm Bill will impact Americans from all walks of life, not only farmers and ranchers, but also foresters, landowners, educators, and of course consumers. It's critical that we get our work done this year, because as the saying goes: not everyone farms, but everyone eats.

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