WASHINGTON — The Senate Agriculture Committee, under pressure to make changes in decades-old subsidy programs, voted Thursday to offer farmers an alternative safety net that lawmakers said will provide better protection against falling incomes and will save as much as $4 billion over the next five years.
Farmers who choose the plan would get a government payment on a portion of their acres if average revenues from crops in their state fall below a historic norm because of low prices or bad weather. But to get the coverage, farmers would have to forgo several supports that have been a pillar of farm programs for years.
Although still modest in scope, the plan was adopted only after fierce infighting involving farm groups and industries affected by the vast agricultural-subsidy system. The committee, dominated by lawmakers representing traditional farming interests, backed away from a more far-reaching reform plan supported by Midwest corn growers following strenuous objections from the private crop-insurance industry and some farm organizations.
Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., who led the fight to scale back the plan, called it “a pretty good compromise.” But Sen. Max Baucus, D-Montana, reflecting continuing concerns in a dry wheat state where farming is inherently risky, warned that the committee was still moving too fast.
The plan is part of a $288 billion, five-year farm bill that covers everything from state-of- the-art research on new biofuels to fish farming. The House has already passed its version of the legislation.
The bill includes several items that will affect Colorado: an amendment that keeps Farm Service Agency offices open for at least five years in Bent, Larimer, Rio Grande, Conejos and El Paso counties; an estimated $30 million to $40 million annually for assistance with soil and water conservation; and $45 million in fresh fruit and vegetables for about 80,000 schoolchildren annually.The state also will share in funding for renewable energy and rural development, including money to bring high-speed Internet to rural areas.
“For far too long, Washington has overlooked the troubles that are affecting our small towns and rural communities,” said Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo., who sits on the Agriculture Committee. “It is time, in my view, that we make investments in our rural communities.”
Denver Post staff writer Anne Mulkern contributed to this report.
