Durbin Receives Golden Triangle Award for Work on Behalf of Downstate Illinois Farmers

DURBIN RECEIVES GOLDEN TRIANGLE AWARD FOR WORK ON BEHALF OF DOWNSTATE ILLINOIS FARMERS

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), who serves on the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee, today received the Golden Triangle Award from the National Farmers Union (NFU) for his attention to issues affecting rural America. The award was presented at a meeting held today in Durbin's U.S. Capitol office with the Illinois Farmers Union. At today's meeting, the Illinois lawmaker discussed bipartisan legislation that will assist downstate Illinoisans, including a new agriculture disaster package, a resolution recognizing September as ‘Rural America Month', legislation Durbin introduced last month to provide broadband access to rural areas and the 2007 Farm Bill.

"I am honored to receive this award and will continue to work with my Senate colleagues on both sides of the aisle to help our nation's farmers," said Durbin. "Unfortunately, the Administration continues to challenge our efforts to provide Illinois and other Midwestern farmers with disaster relief. We cannot let this be the final word and I am now working with senators on a bipartisan basis for a new agriculture disaster package."

Last week, Durbin worked with Senate colleagues on both sides of the aisle to introduce legislation that will provide disaster assistance to farmers in Illinois and across the country dealing with drought. The legislation would assist farmers who have lost more than 35 percent of their crop with a payment of 50 percent of the established crop price. It would also provide Supplemental Economic Loss Payments to help compensate farmers for significantly higher energy and fertilizer costs in 2005 and 2006. Also, it would provide assistance for livestock producers facing increased feed costs, and additional assistance to farmers to compensate for specialty crop losses.

Last week, Durbin helped pass legislation to designate September 2006 as "Rural America Month". The legislation, S Res.561, will encourage activities during the month of September to highlight the importance of Rural America and among other things, will help recognize rural America's role in the nation's growing information highway. Last month, Durbin introduced legislation, the Broadband for Rural America Act of 2006, to encourage the rapid deployment of high-quality, affordable broadband internet service, especially in rural areas.

"Broadband is an essential component of our lives, at work and at home. It has become an essential service like water, gas and electricity. Our homes and businesses need affordable access to high speed internet connections, in the same way our homes and businesses need traditional utility services," said Durbin. "Yet, for too many people living in small communities today, broadband access is still not a reality. When I travel in downstate Illinois, people tell me that they cannot wait to have broadband service, but that there is no service available to them right now. My bill will change that."

In today's meeting Durbin also discussed the 2007 Farm Bill. The Farm Bill will likely contain a number of provisions important to Illinois farmers including improving protections for farmers in the event of natural disasters such as droughts and flooding, modifying the current commodity support programs, maintaining nutrition programs like Food Stamps and the Women, Infants, and Children Program (WIC) and increasing federal support for innovative renewable energy projects. House and Senate Agriculture Committees are currently holding hearings around the country to gather information from farmers and other stakeholders on a variety of topics, including crop insurance, commodity programs, rural development, renewable energy and others. The Agriculture Committee is expected to begin writing the Farm Bill next year.

The Golden Triangle Award is based on NFU's symbol—a triangle with "legislation" and "cooperation" forming the sides and "education" the base. The Golden Triangle Award is awarded annually and was first established in 1988.

http://durbin.senate.gov/record.cfm?id=262910&&