Secretary Dan Glickman

During the year that ended on September 30, USDA distributed a record $28 billion in direct payments to help farmers and ranchers weather these difficult economic times. USDA assistance was responsible for about half of U.S. net farm income for the year. Had it not been for our support, farm income would have plunged to its lowest level since 1984 and thousands of farmers undoubtedly would have been forced out of business.

With the new fiscal year, our support continues. We have begun issuing Conservation Reserve Program payments worth a total of $1.4 billion. And USDA's appropriation for FY 2001, which President Bill Clinton signed into law on October 28, includes more than $3 billion in disaster relief and crop loss payments, including livestock assistance, support for dairy producers, and money to help compensate Florida growers who were devastated by citrus canker.

We are proud of our efforts to help farmers. During farm economy slumps like this one, we consider it our obligation to do whatever possible to help the men and women of American agriculture. But ideally, farmers should not have to rely on emergency government payments to make it through the year. They ought to be able to thrive on their own, earning a living wage for their hard work, but supported by a strong farm safety net during lean times.

Emergency assistance is not the best public policy approach. It is more damage control than anything else. It throws money at the problem instead of crafting solutions to the problem.

As we prepare to write the next farm bill, we have a chance to correct the flaws in the nation’s farm policy. We have a chance--and, I believe, a responsibility--to build the safety net that our farmers need and deserve.

What I want to see is a safety net that provides countercyclical assistance, which is targeted to those farmers who need it most. It should also feature a strong conservation component, as well as investment in rural development, support for farm cooperatives, incentives for the production of bioenergy, and more. The next Administration, the next Secretary of Agriculture, and the 107^th Congress must make strengthening the farm safety net a top priority.