Reviews of farm bill mixed

Utah farmers are offering mixed reviews of the 2007 Farm Bill proposals, rolled out this week by the U.S. Agriculture Department.

"Overall, we like what we hear and what we've seen, because it improves the funding for specialty crops and conservation," said Utah Agriculture Commissioner Leonard Blackham.

The administration's proposals were unveiled Wednesday by U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns. On Thursday, administration officials were in Salt Lake City stumping for the program.

Mark Rey, undersecretary at the U.S. agriculture department, said the haggling process has just begun — the current law expires at year's end — but he hopes the law that is eventually passed will at least resemble the administration's proposal.

"I think this proposal is a good proposal for the state of Utah and that it reflects the priorities of the agriculture community here," Rey said. "I think with regard to how we've made some adjustments to the basic structure of the 2002 Farm Bill, those adjustments will serve farmers, ranchers and other rural landowners in this state particularly well."

Among the "high points" of the 2007 bill (with funding figures reflecting 10-year totals) are proposals to:

• Increase funding for renewable energy, conservation, research, rural development and trade. The 2007 proposal calls for $1.6 billion in new money for renewable energy research, for example, and $7.8 billion in conservation funding

• Stop commodity program subsidies to producers making an adjusted gross income of $200,000 or more

• Change the current price-based "countercyclical" program to a revenue-based program. Under the price-based program, farmers were compensated when the price of a crop fell below a certain level. The new program would be tied to the farmer's revenue. Total payments will be capped at $360,000. Those changes will save $1.5 billion, which will be redistributed in other areas.

• Spend nearly $5 billion to support specialty crop producers (like Utah's fruit growers) by increasing nutrition in food assistance programs, buying more fruits and vegetables, funding specialty crop research and expanding export markets

• Giving conservation programs another $7.8 billion, for programs affecting wetlands, rangelands, forests and watersheds

"The 2002 Farm Bill was at the time the single largest Congressional statement in favor of working lands conservation in the nation's history, and we're proposing to continue that trend and to make that statement stronger," Rey said.

Blackham largely applauded the measure.