Lincoln Davis on Farm Bill

Congressman Lincoln Davis is optimistic that the Farm Bill will be reauthorized this year, and expects a shift in the target of some farm subsidies.

The Farm Bill sets federal policy for five years at a time in agricultural and food related areas. Congress can take two or more years to work its way through such massive appropriations measures, but Davis expects swift work on the Farm Bill. And he says it may not cost more than the 2002 version.

“With commodities as high as they are today, it requires less supplemental subsidies for our farmers to keep them in business, with corn the price that it is, and other commodities. We may be able to actually have a bill at the same funding level.”

Davis also says there is widespread support for subsidizing crops used in energy production. The funds would be shifted out of existing export assistance programs, which have become a target for international protest. The World Trade Organization says the amount of help given to American farmers makes it very difficult for farmers in the Third World to compete and survive.