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U.S.
Senator Member of the Agriculture, Energy and Veterans Affairs
Committees |
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For Immediate
Release Novemeber 6, 2007 |
CONTACT:Stephanie Valencia – 202-228-3630 |
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Sen.
Salazar: "Farm Bill is Bipartisan, Balanced, Fiscally Responsible and
Forward Thinking" WASHINGTON, DC – As the Senate began consideration of the 2007 Farm Bill this week, United States Senator Ken Salazar made the following statement on the Senate floor expressing his strong support of the bill. Senator Salazar has been a key leader as the Farm Bill was written in the Senate Agriculture Committee and also worked to include key renewable energy provisions in the Senate Committee Finance. The Farm Bill invests in rural development, energy technology, wise stewardship and strengthens our Nation’s ability to produce clean, safe, and affordable food. Below is Senator Salazar’s speech in its entirety as prepared for delivery: “I rise today in strong support of the 2007 Farm Bill. I want to thank Chairman Harkin and Ranking Member Chambliss for their leadership on the Agriculture Committee and for their work to bring such a bipartisan, forward-thinking, and balanced package to the floor. “Today is a particularly proud day for me. In my maiden speech on the floor of the U.S. Senate more than two years ago, I spoke about the possibilities and promise that America’s small towns and rural communities offer for a country in need of clean, renewable energy, a secure food supply, and responsible stewardship of our land and water. Unfortunately, for too long Washington has overlooked the opportunities that Rural America can provide, and, through a policy of neglect and disinterest, has allowed small towns and rural communities across the country to wither on the vine. “The bill before us will bring new life and new energy to Rural America. Through a set of smart investments, this bill helps farmers, ranchers, and entrepreneurs build a clean energy economy that has its roots in America’s farms and fields. It lays the infrastructure – through rural broadband and microbusiness loans – for accelerating economic development in rural areas. It creates incentives for the wise stewardship of land and water – practices we all benefit from. It puts money into nutrition programs that combat hunger and allow low-income children to eat healthy lunches at school. And it brings balance and certainty to agricultural markets so that Americans can continue to enjoy a healthy and secure food supply. It does all this while closing loopholes that have allowed federal dollars to end up in the hands of people who should not have been eligible for assistance. It is a smart and fiscally responsible bill. The Challenges Facing Rural America “I grew up on a ranch in the San Luis Valley, a few miles north of the Colorado-New Mexico border. My family has farmed and ranched that land for five generations. For much of my life, I spent long days in the fields with my father and brothers tending to the cattle, baling hay, and fixing fences. It was hard work, and my hands are permanently calloused from it, but there was a pride that we felt for our ranch, for our land and water, and for our way of life. “To be a farmer or a rancher is a hard life. My parents always said that they couldn’t give me or my seven brothers and sisters material riches, but they could teach us the values that come from work, family, and faith. These are the values that bind rural communities across America. They are the values that built this country. “In 1787, Thomas Jefferson sent a letter to George Washington in which he talked about the role of the farmer in the young democracy. “Agriculture... is our wisest pursuit,” he wrote, “because it will in the end contribute most to real wealth, good morals and happiness.” “Those of us who have had the privilege of growing up on a farm or a ranch - or even if you have just visited some farms and spent time with our producers – can appreciate how important agriculture and our rural communities are to our country. “That is why I am thoroughly disappointed that the Administration has threatened to veto this bill. It is another sign that the White House is completely out of touch with the small towns and main streets of Rural America. The Administration just doesn’t seem to get it: the Farm Bill isn’t just about farms – it is about our future. It is about the entrepreneur who wants to build a biofuels plant in eastern Colorado. It is about the third grader who, for the first time, will get fresh fruits and vegetables at lunch. It is about the mother who wants us to reduce our dependence on foreign oil. We all gain from a strong and balanced Farm Bill. We all have a stake in its passage. Rural Development “I want to take a few moments to walk through the bill and explain why it is so important – for farmers… for children… for all Americans… - that we pass this Farm Bill. “Since being elected to the Senate in 2004, I have spoken frequently about how Washington’s policies in recent years have been blind to the needs of Rural America. More than half the counties in America are rural – and 44 of 64 counties in Colorado – but Washington’s neglect has made Rural America a Forgotten America. Businesses on Main Streets are being boarded up, FSA offices are closing, and family farmers are having to sell their land after years of drought. “To see Washington’s neglect of our rural communities is disheartening when you know just how much possibility and promise they hold. With modest investments, Rural America can be the engine of our clean energy economy, fueling an alternative energy revolution that capitalizes on the hard work, productivity, and entrepreneurship of our farmers and ranchers. “That is why I am so pleased that the 2007 Farm Bill makes such wise investments in rural development. The bill provides $355 million dollars for rural development. These investments will enable entrepreneurs in rural communities to leverage micro-enterprise loans to build their businesses. They will help health care providers expand access in underserved rural communities. “And they will help get broadband internet access into small towns around the country. Broadband access is to rural communities in the 21st century what highways were for in 20th century and railroads were in the 19th century – it is infrastructure that is essential to economic development. The $26 million that this bill provides will help close the digital divide that is preventing rural businesses and entrepreneurs from fully participating in the global economy. A Clean Energy Economy for the 21st Century Secondly, this bill includes an energy title that opens a new chapter of opportunity for Rural America. In the 2005 Energy Policy Act and in the energy bill we passed earlier this year, we planted the seeds for a renewable energy revolution in this country, so that we can reduce our dangerous dependence on foreign oil. “The Farm Bill takes the next step, helping farmers and ranchers take advantage of renewable energy technologies that have been developed at places like the National Renewable Energy Lab in Golden, Colorado. “With the $1.3 billion that this bill devotes to energy programs, farmers will be able to apply for grants to develop bio-refineries and to improve the handling, harvest, transport and storage of feedstocks for biofuels. The bill includes tax credits for small-wind turbines and cellulosic biofuel production. And it stimulates research into the methods and technologies that will allow the most productive lands in the world to provide more and more of our energy. “Our farmers and ranchers want to be a part of the solution – helping reduce the amount of oil we import while helping stimulate a clean energy economy built on innovation, technology, and our productive advantages. The energy title is a win-win for our rural communities, for consumers who want cleaner, lower-cost energy, and for our national security. Protecting our Land and Water “The third aspect of this bill that I want to emphasize is the conservation title. Farmers and ranchers are some of our best stewards of our land and water – we need a Farm Bill that recognizes and encourages the good stewardship practices from which we all benefit. To understand why the conservation programs in the Farm Bill are so important – and to understand how we all benefit from them – just visit one of the ranches along the Yampa River up in northwest Colorado. “You quickly see that the ranchers there don’t just put high quality, grass-fed beef on our dinner table. They guard the open spaces that draw sightseers and recreationalists from around the world. They protect the clean water that comes to our homes. They provide habitat for fish and game, bringing millions of dollars in revenue from fishing and hunting into our state. “Unfortunately, you can’t find a price on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange for the clean water, clean air, habitat, and open space dividends that a ranch produces. And if a ranch goes under or is developed, we lose the conservation value it provided. So how do we address this challenge? Through existing, effective programs that reward farmers and ranchers for the conservation practices from which we all benefit. “Thanks to Chairman Harkin’s leadership, the 2007 Farm Bill is the greenest Farm Bill in history. It reauthorizes highly successful conservation programs like the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). “This bill reauthorizes EQIP, which provides cost-share funding and technical assistance to producers so that they can address environmental issues on their lands. In Colorado, we receive around $30 to $40 million a year for projects that, for example, reduce water waste, improve water quality, or provide fencing that keeps livestock out of sensitive areas. “The bill also reauthorizes the Conservation Reserve Program, which helps producers retire and restore agricultural land that, if taken out of production, would provide significant environmental benefits. In Colorado we have around 2.3 million acres enrolled in CRP for purposes ranging from erosion control and habit preservation to improving water use. The reauthorization will allow us to continue to make these wise investments in stewardship. Food Security and Nutrition “In addition to the rural development, energy production, and conservation practices that this bill will stimulate, the 2007 Farm Bill helps ensure the continued production of safe, healthy food right here at home. “Since our Founding, agriculture has been indispensable to our economy and our prosperity. Corn, tobacco, and cotton helped fund the Revolution and the organization of our young states. The promise of free land brought millions of new settlers to the West where they planted wheat, raised cattle, and cultivated the earth. The productivity of our farms sustained the war effort as we defeated fascism and helped rebuild Europe and Japan. And now, as we search for new ways to power our economy, our farms and ranches offer new promise for a clean energy economy. “Growing up on our ranch in the San Luis Valley taught me just how tough it is to make a living off the land. You work sun up to sun down all year, seven days a week, to raise a good crop or a healthy herd, and then, without anything you can do to prevent it, disease, drought, hail, or flooding can wipe it all away. When you do have a bumper crop, you might find that everyone else has had a great year, too. Prices fall, and you actually do worse. “The bill that is before us helps producers, and therefore helps all of us, by bringing some level of certainty and structure to agricultural markets. We cannot and should not take the risk out of our farming and ranching – they are tough businesses however you cut it – but we can help make the really bad years just a little less painful. The little bit of certainty that favorable loan rates or a counter-cyclical program can provide is often the difference between whether a family keeps the farm or loses it. “Why should we care whether a family is able to stay on their farm, someone might ask? The sign on my desk that reads “No Farms, No Food” tells the story. The fresh fruits, grains, meats, and vegetables that come from our farms and ranches are essential to public health, reducing hunger, and ensuring that Americans can always find affordable, safe food at their grocery store. “A great example of how the bill benefits both producers and consumers is the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, which provides fruits and vegetables to school children. We are expanding this program to cover all 50 states, including Colorado. That means that 80,000 Colorado kids are going to get fresh fruits and vegetables in their school lunches. This will reduce childhood obesity, increase productivity in school, and teach habits for a healthy lifestyle. Farm Bill Reform “Although we all benefit from smart investments in programs that help provide stability and certainty for producers, we also must be wary of waste and abuse. The 2002 Farm Bill was not perfect, and I am pleased the Agriculture Committee took this year’s reauthorization as an opportunity to address its shortcomings. “Our bill, for example, includes significant reforms to how we deal with payment limits. USDA payments must now be attributed to an actual person rather than an entity. Previously, individuals were finding ways to collect payments from up to three different operations and USDA had no idea where its payments were going. “The 2002 Farm Bill also left open several loopholes that have allowed Farm Bill dollars to go to non-farmers for land that is no longer agricultural. “I’m proud to have worked with my colleague from Nebraska, Senator Nelson, on language which was incorporated into this bill that stops this waste. Our language prohibits the distribution of commodity support payments for land that has been subdivided for houses or transferred to other non-agricultural uses. This is an important fix. “So is our reform to how Washington deals with agricultural disasters. From time to time, farmers and ranchers get hit with by droughts, floods, or tornados that wipe out their crop. It happened last winter in southeastern Colorado, where a blizzard buried whole herds of livestock. Our producers down there lost 20,000 head of cattle. “How does Washington typically respond when something like this happens? USDA declares a disaster, Congress scrambles to find emergency spending, the bill gets stalled, and then farmers and ranchers wait months, if not years, to get any help. What is wrong with this picture? “First, we’re not delivering disaster assistance efficiently. Second, we should not be relying on emergency spending to provide disaster assistance – we need to put these expenditures back on the books. Congress has passed 23 other ad hoc disaster assistance bills since 1988. Though I am supportive of this emergency assistance, I believe we need to create a system for disaster aid that will respond more efficiently and promptly to the needs of our ranchers and farmers. “What we’ve done on this bill – thanks to the leadership of Chairman Baucus and Ranking Member Grassley on the Finance Committee – is to create a permanent trust fund for disaster assistance. This will allow us to maintain discipline and high standards for determining when to pay out disaster funds, and it will allow producers to get help more quickly. It is a sensible, fiscally responsible solution. “The American farmer has always been an engine for prosperity and opportunity in America. Through revolution, western settlement, depression, and world wars, the men and women who work our lands have always been there to lead us through the next great challenge that faces our country. Today, we are faced with a new challenge – that of building a clean energy economy for the 21st century – and we need the help of our farmers and ranchers. “Our national security, our economic security, and our environmental security demand that we grow our way toward energy independence. It is an imperative, but it also a great opportunity. The country that successfully replaces its imports of foreign oil with clean, home-grown energy will reap competitive and technological advantages that will keep it out front in the world for decades to come. “We can all play a part in this new economy, but the productivity and ingenuity of Rural America is our greatest untapped resource in our quest to reduce our dependence on foreign oil. I am excited that this bill – with its investments in rural development, energy technology, and wise stewardship – taps this great resource, while strengthening our ability to produce clean, safe, and affordable food. “The bill represents the best type of work that we can do in the U.S. Senate – cooperative, bipartisan work that is focused on creating new opportunities for our country. I want to again thank Chairman Harkin, Ranking Member Chambliss and my colleagues on the Agriculture Committee for their leadership. This bill plants the seeds for a new era of opportunity and prosperity in America, and I am proud to support it.” ###
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