Press Releases
Senator Roberts: Senate Ag Committee Approves Farm Bill
Includes Roberts Amendment to Protect the Crop Insurance Program
Oct 25 2007
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS) today commented on the Senate Agriculture Committee’s passage of the Farm Bill:
“I am pleased the Senate Ag Committee unanimously approved the Farm Bill and sent it to the Senate floor. While I have serious concerns about several sections of the bill, it was a necessary first step in the Farm Bill process.
“We have two victories in the commodity title: this bill leaves direct payment rates alone. I would prefer to see these payments increased to help producers meet rising input costs. However, I am happy we have been successful in preventing cuts to the only commodity title program that provides direct assistance to producers when they have no crop to harvest. Secondly, through an amendment I offered to the newly proposed Average Crop Revenue (ACR) program, we remove the connection between crop insurance and the ACR program, protecting the viability of the program for Kansas producers.
“We have made vast improvements to the ACR. However, I remain concerned that neither it, nor the traditional counter-cyclical program, will provide adequate support for Kansas farmers during times of serious crop losses. This was a problem with the 2002 bill and one we must continue working to address before sending a bill to the president’s desk..
“In the conservation title, I worked with my colleagues to include an amendment that protects the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), which provides assistance to our cattle producers and feedyards to implement costly environmental requirements. My amendment assures that Kansas farmers and ranchers will continue to be able to address environmental and conservation concerns on their operations.
“I am pleased the Farm Bill includes an important provision I strongly support which recognizes the unique needs of our rural hospitals. This provision provides money to small and rural hospitals to assist with their reconstruction and rehabilitation needs, which will allow these facilities to continue to provide high quality health care to all Kansans.
“I am pleased that a number of my proposals to reform the Rural Utilities Service’s Broadband Loan program were also included in the bill. These provisions represent a bipartisan effort to bring broadband Internet to a greater number of Kansans by more effectively targeting our unserved rural areas.
“However, I am concerned with provisions in this bill impacting our livestock industry. The livestock portion of this bill must be improved in the final Farm Bill that will be passed by the Congress.
“We still have a lot of work to do, so rest assured I will work with my colleagues to continue the fight to protect the programs that work for Kansas farmers and ranchers, including direct payments, crop insurance and the EQIP program.”
The bill now goes to the Senate floor for debate and a vote.
Senator Roberts is a senior member of the Senate Agriculture Committee and former Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee.
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“I am pleased the Senate Ag Committee unanimously approved the Farm Bill and sent it to the Senate floor. While I have serious concerns about several sections of the bill, it was a necessary first step in the Farm Bill process.
“We have two victories in the commodity title: this bill leaves direct payment rates alone. I would prefer to see these payments increased to help producers meet rising input costs. However, I am happy we have been successful in preventing cuts to the only commodity title program that provides direct assistance to producers when they have no crop to harvest. Secondly, through an amendment I offered to the newly proposed Average Crop Revenue (ACR) program, we remove the connection between crop insurance and the ACR program, protecting the viability of the program for Kansas producers.
“We have made vast improvements to the ACR. However, I remain concerned that neither it, nor the traditional counter-cyclical program, will provide adequate support for Kansas farmers during times of serious crop losses. This was a problem with the 2002 bill and one we must continue working to address before sending a bill to the president’s desk..
“In the conservation title, I worked with my colleagues to include an amendment that protects the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), which provides assistance to our cattle producers and feedyards to implement costly environmental requirements. My amendment assures that Kansas farmers and ranchers will continue to be able to address environmental and conservation concerns on their operations.
“I am pleased the Farm Bill includes an important provision I strongly support which recognizes the unique needs of our rural hospitals. This provision provides money to small and rural hospitals to assist with their reconstruction and rehabilitation needs, which will allow these facilities to continue to provide high quality health care to all Kansans.
“I am pleased that a number of my proposals to reform the Rural Utilities Service’s Broadband Loan program were also included in the bill. These provisions represent a bipartisan effort to bring broadband Internet to a greater number of Kansans by more effectively targeting our unserved rural areas.
“However, I am concerned with provisions in this bill impacting our livestock industry. The livestock portion of this bill must be improved in the final Farm Bill that will be passed by the Congress.
“We still have a lot of work to do, so rest assured I will work with my colleagues to continue the fight to protect the programs that work for Kansas farmers and ranchers, including direct payments, crop insurance and the EQIP program.”
The bill now goes to the Senate floor for debate and a vote.
Senator Roberts is a senior member of the Senate Agriculture Committee and former Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee.
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