Secretary Dan Glickman

USDA, as part of its new proposed budget, has put forward some new ideas to shore up the farm safety net and help farmers beyond what is provided by existing programs.

The 1996 Farm Bill brought dramatic changes to this nation’s farm programs, including sound provisions like greater emphasis on conservation and more planting flexibility. But in overhauling 60 years of national farm policy, it left behind an inadequate safety net, putting farmers at risk and giving them little to fall back on.

Rather than waiting to throw together another hasty, expensive emergency relief package later this year, we instead offer some new ideas, which can lay the groundwork for new farm legislation in 2002. But let me be clear: for now, we are not proposing to rewrite the current Farm Bill--we want to enhance it.

Our plan calls for $11 billion in new investments over the next two years to build a broader-based farm policy that includes more farmers and ranchers, is targeted to actual production, helps those most with the greatest need and treats our natural resources as valuable commodities.

The proposal has four major components.

First, it includes income support that is targeted and countercyclical. Payments would kick in when incomes drop, and they would go to farmers--not landlords--who are hardest hit.

Second, the proposal offers increased conservation assistance, including a program that would provide payments to farmers who undertake practices that help curb erosion and protect water supplies from pesticide and nutrient runoff.

Third, the budget includes more risk management tools. We would extend the premium discount on crop insurance and give farmers the option to buy multi-year coverage, just as any other business can. We’re also proposing a pilot livestock insurance program.

Fourth, we want to help farmers find new markets and get a larger share of each consumer dollar spent on food.

Taken together, I believe these ideas and proposals--on top of the many things we are already doing--are a strong foundation for a new farm safety net, which would fit within the context of a fiscally responsible balanced budget. We’re setting the stage for a meaningful dialogue, the end of which will be a farm policy that farmers can count on, in good times and in bad.

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