wfn.org | New farm bill has pluses, minuses

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SEARCH:   1996 farm bill, family farmers, environment, law

CONTACT:  Joretta Purdue                       215(10-24-71){2861}
          Washington, D.C.  (202) 546-8722           April 9, 1996

New farm bill a mixed bag,
according to church executive

     WASHINGTON (UMNS) -- "Good for the environment, bad for
family farmers" is the way an executive of the United Methodist
Church's advocacy agency here has characterized the new farm bill
signed by the President in early April.
     "Family farmers will be left at the mercy of the 'free
market' with no safety net. At the same time, many conservation
programs were maintained or improved," declared Mark Harrison, a
program director with the denomination's Board of Church and
Society.
     His analysis correlates with a statement issued a year ago
by the board outlining its priorities as the legislative process
of revising the 1990 Farm Bill was beginning with a series of
hearings.      
     As a result of the new law, commodity support payments will
decline over the next seven years and then cease. These support
payments no longer are linked to production nor targeted to small
and moderate family-operated commercial farms.
     "Smaller farm operations will bear the brunt of cuts while
maintaining loopholes for the larger farms and agribusiness,"
Harrison said in a written analysis. The bill, which expires in
the year 2002, will lead to the loss of family farms, Harrison
predicts.
     On the other hand the Conservation Reserve Program, which
protects 36.4 million acres of fragile farmland, will continue
for the life of the law. 
     "A new Environmental Quality Incentives Program will help
crop and livestock farmers meet conservation challenges on their
farms with technical and cost-share assistance," Harrison said.
     Other programs encourage resource-conserving crops and
sustainable farming methods.
     An outreach program that provides technical assistance to
minority farmers and cooperatives to diversify and seek new
markets was rolled into one of the funds provided by the bill.
     Another fund provides for community development. But, while
more flexible than the current program, it potentially could be
diverted from serving low-income rural populations to aid large-
scale businesses, Harrison said.
     The food stamp program will be continued for two years
without changes, Harrison noted. Then a new program of temporary
food assistance is to be established.
     For a copy of Harrison's two-page analysis or more
information on the 1996 Farm Bill, he may be contacted at the
Board of Church and Society, 100 Maryland Ave. NE, Washington, DC
20002. His telephone number is (202) 488-5645.
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