USDA Promises Specific Farm Bill Recommendations
USDA Secretary Mike Johanns said recently that he will announce his recommendations for the 2007 farm bill sometime between mid-January and early February.
"We plan to address a number of areas, but our strategy is to be specific in our recommendations," he told those attending the Grow America Project conference in Indianapolis.
Johanns said he learned at farm bill listening sessions that conservation measures, rural development and increased international trade are popular among many farmers, but there is disagreement on domestic support programs.
Nearly 60% of all those classified as farmers aren't getting payments because they're raising specialty crops that don't qualify for subsidies, he told the gathering. "Even now, specialty crop producers aren't asking for subsidies. What they want is more research on food safety and marketing," he said.
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