Farmers, foresters plead for trade, conservation aid

Capital Press ^ | 10/28/2005 | Mitch Lies

[GreenFreeper]

PORTLAND – Oregon farm and forest representatives urged a USDA panel to fund conservation programs and international trade programs in a 2007 Farm Bill forum here Oct. 25.

Also in the listening session that included USDA Undersecretary Eric Bost, participants said it was important that Congress continue to fund price support programs, specialty crop grants and agricultural research in the next farm bill.

Barry Bushue, president of the Oregon Farm Bureau Federation, said the Farm Bureau supports a 2007 bill patterned after the 2002 bill, and he urged the USDA to back a bill with fully funded price support programs and expanded research opportunities.

Bushue also said that conservation programs are key to helping Oregon farmers develop and implement water quality programs.

“Any conservation programs are welcome,” he said.

Dalton Hobbs, an assistant director of the Oregon Department of Agriculture, echoed many of Bushue’s comments.

“It is critical that the next farm bill continue to fully fund the Market Access Program,” Hobbs said, noting that Oregon ships the vast majority of its agricultural products out of state.

And he urged support of the specialty crop grant program that has helped farmers over the past three years develop new products and implement marketing strategies.

“This should be expanded under the new farm bill to provide specialty crop producers the resources to innovate and compete in an otherwise consolidating marketplace,” he said.

Harold Nigren, a small woodlands owner from Washington County, told the panel that forest landowners need help in developing and implementing management plans and urged the USDA to present a bill to Congress that includes funding for small woodlands research; funding to educate small-woodland owners on sustainable practices; funding to help them develop management plans; and financial assistance to implement the plans.

Mike Barsotti of the Oregon Department of Forestry said price supports for forest stewardship programs have dwindled dramatically in the past 10 years while government has asked the private forest owner to expand his stewardship practices.

“Now we’re asking landowners to take on projects that benefit society but that don’t help them personally, and we’re backing off on support,” he said.

Barsotti said federal funding for support programs for family forest owners today is 10 percent of what it was in the early 1990s.

Berk Davis, an Eastern Oregon farmer from Adams, said conservation program funding is critical in enabling him and other Eastern Oregon farmers to develop on-farm conservation programs, and he urged the panel to include funding for the programs in the next farm bill.

The panel included Allen Ng, a regional administrator of the USDA; Bost, undersecretary of food and nutrition consumer services; and Clarence Carter, a USDA deputy administrator.

Bost said the listening session was one of many conducted by the USDA in preparation for reauthorizing the next Farm Bill. The current farm bill expires in September 2007.

Mitch Lies is based in Salem. His e-mail address is mlies@capitalpress.com.

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[GreenFreeper]

ECO-PING

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[traviskicks]

Begging and pleading for a place to suckle the government's teat...



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[RightWhale]

back a bill with fully funded price support programs

Not a problem. We're only $15 trillion in debt. Plenty of money sloshing around DC and various state capitols, especially since paper and ink aren't used anymore to print the stuff. How much do you need? We'll just put a couple more zeros to the right and push [send].

[sergeantdave]

We have a private sector more than willing to cruise your woodlot and establish management programs for you.

The government needs to butt out and go chase terrorists.

[marsh2]

"Now we’re asking landowners to take on projects that benefit society but that don’t help them personally, and we’re backing off on support,” he said.

Programs like the Conservation Reserve Program set up a ten year renewable lease by the federal government of riparian land previously used for cropping or grazing. The land is then fenced off and not grazed or cropped. It is now of no economic benefit to the farmer or rancher (other than the small lease payment) and is being managed for benefit to the public in improved habitat (shade) or water quality (reduced erosion.) Riparian land is likely subirrigated and is otherwise probably the most productive land the farmer/rancher has for forage/crop.

I do not see the paying of a landowner to manange his land in a way other than for his own productive benefit to be "sucking at the government teat." It is simply a program that respects private property and the fifth amendmnet and actually pays the landowner for public use rather than using regulation to impress the land into public service by force.