U.S. House committee to listen to farmers in Yakima, Wash.
By SHANNON DININNY, Associated Press Writer
Friday, June 9, 2006 4:32 PM CDT
YAKIMA, Wash. -Bob Brammer summed it up in one word: research.
Apple growers don’t want handouts in the form of direct payments. They want money to examine new mechanical harvesting equipment, to study ways to reduce pesticide use, he said.
"We need dollars in research to get that done," Brammer said from his 1,000 acres of apples, cherries and pears in Brewster, overlooking the Columbia River in north-central Washington.
It’s a common refrain among growers of specialty crops in Washington state, and one likely to be heard by members of the U.S. House Agriculture Committee when they meet Saturday in Yakima. The hearing is one of a dozen scheduled across the country to gather feedback from farmers in planning federal policy for the next farm bill. The current farm bill expires in 2007.
U.S. Rep. Doc Hastings, a Republican representing central Washington, had urged the committee members to bring one of their hearings to his agriculture-heavy district.
"With a focus on specialty crops and unique water and environmental challenges, the needs of our agriculture community are far different than those in many other farm states," Hastings said in a statement Monday announcing the public hearing.
News of the hearing was welcome in Washington, where agriculture remains the No. 1 industry. Washington is the nation’s leading producer of apples, sweet cherries, pears, juice grapes and hops, and is a top five producer of a number of other crops. Total crop value is about $6 billion.
That doesn’t come without some help. The farm bill governs everything from conservation programs to trade and marketing programs, including direct-payment subsidies. The federal government expects to spend $20 billion subsidizing farmers this year under the current farm bill.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, four of every 10 farmers receive government subsidies. But those subsidies go primarily to those who grow corn, wheat, rice, cotton and soybeans.
At a hearing last month in Texas, ranchers and farmers told members of the agriculture committee there was no need to fix federal farm policy that’s not broken. They’ll likely hear a different tune from Washington state growers of specialty crops -generally considered berries, fruits and vegetables.
"The farm bill is a large investment by the American taxpayer in U.S. agriculture. It seems to us that the produce industry, which has a big part in U.S. agriculture in terms of dollar value in sales, should be recognized in terms of federal policy in a much broader and more effective way than (it) has been in the past," said Christian Schlect, president of the Northwest Horticultural Council.
The group manages trade issues for farmers in Washington, Idaho and Oregon.
Research tops the list, he said. Federal dollars for state land-grant universities and agricultural research programs have dwindled in recent years, dampening study in areas of great need.
Pest and disease management, new plant varieties and nutrition are key areas where farmers could benefit from additional research money, he said.
"It’s not asking for a new department of research," Schlect said. "It’s just asking for more resources devoted to those areas."
In the cattle industry, ranchers are seeking continued spending for developing an animal identification program, despite recent efforts in Congress to cut spending in that area, said Jack Field, executive director of the Washington Cattlemen’s Association.
The ability to trace animals from birth to slaughter became crucial following the discovery of mad cow disease in a Mabton dairy cow in December 2003. Ranchers in seven Western states are participating in a voluntary pilot program geared at tracking and identifying cattle and other animals -a program that was made possible by a federal grant.
"We need continued funding of some of these pilot programs," Field said. "We’ve learned quite a bit about animal identification and about sharing information across different areas of the industry. I would hope that could continue."
Jay Gordon, executive director of the Washington State Dairy Federation, said dairy farmers also have concerns about the federal government potentially stalling efforts for an animal identification program.
By far, though, the most disconcerting issue for dairy farmers is trade, he said. Depending on whether the United States reaches an agreement with the World Trade Organization on its subsidy programs, dairy farmers could have entirely different needs in the farm bill.
Poorer countries say the subsidies give U.S. farmers an unfair advantage by enabling them to undercut cheaper competitors from abroad.
The current farm bill, dating from 2002, will expire before any WTO agreement likely will be reached.
"We’re going to have to have a farm bill, and there’s probably going to be a lot of debate as to what WTO rules will allow," said Dean Boyer, spokesman for the Washington State Farm Bureau. "But until those rules are finalized, let’s not make changes to our domestic support program that would undercut the safety net for farmers and ranchers."
AP-WS-06-06-06 0219EDT
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