Gillibrand Helps Pass 5-year Farm Bill - Northeast Benefits

Press Release

Gillibrand Helps Pass 5-year Farm Bill - Northeast Benefits

The House of Representatives today passed a new Farm Bill with bipartisan support which provides the largest increase ever, in assistance to Upstate New York. Not only does this bill include an extension of the successful MILC safety net program for dairy farmers - something that Congresswoman Gillibrand fought to have included in the baseline and incorporated into the Farm Bill - but it also includes significant new investments in popular conservation programs, including the Conservation Reserve Program, Wetlands Reserve Program, Environmental Quality Incentive Program, and the Farm and Ranchland Protection Program.

Congresswoman Gillibrand and the House Agriculture Committee have developed a farm bill that is great for NY farmers and producers," said New York Farm Bureau President, John Lincoln. "Representative Gillibrand has worked tirelessly to ensure that our dairy producers and specially crop farmers have the conservation, research and commodity programs they need to keep New York agriculture strong for years to come."

"I am proud to have been part of the bi-partisan effort to write the 2007 Farm Bill," said Congresswoman Gillibrand a Member of the Agriculture Committee. "This bill strikes a balance between the needs of farmers throughout the country, while still providing needed reforms of the subsidy program and large increases for dairy and fruit farmers in the Northeast. This bill represents a significant improvement over the previous farm bill and I look forward to working to strengthen the bill for Upstate New York even more during the conference process."

Previously Congresswoman Gillibrand had expressed a desire to further expand the MILC program, fully fund conservation programs and to provide open spaces for recreational hunting and fishing.

This bill that passed today also includes two amendments sponsored by Congresswoman Gillibrand that address issues particularly important to the agricultural economy of Upstate New York.

Buy Local Amendment: Directs $50 million in grants and free technical assistance to farmers that want to transition from traditional farming to organic farming. Many of New York's farmers are operating on the financial edge and can not afford the high investment that is required to transition to organic. This amendment addresses that need and will help keep many of our small farms in business. Further, the organic market has been growing exponentially recently - especially in New York City - and the Upstate economy can benefit immensely from this increased demand.
Organics Transition for Small Farms Amendment:
Directs the USDA to provide loans to businesses that promote buying and distributing within 400 miles of the farms where the product was produced. This provision will specifically help agricultural businesses in the Northeast because of the large markets in Boston, New York and Philadelphia. Promoting local distribution also helps to keep local economies strong and prices low because consumers don't have to pay the high cost of transporting products long distances. Moreover, it helps save energy and reduces pollution from decreasing the amount of truck and train traffic needed to haul products long distances.

Other important highlights of the Farm Bill (H.R. 2419) include:

* Imposes real payment limitations that crack down on subsidies, saves more than a half billion dollars, and redirects funds to the people who need it most: working family farmers and ranchers.
* Strengthens payment limits to ensure that people making more than $1 million a year (adjusted gross income) can't collect conservation and farm program payments and closes loopholes that allow people to avoid payment limits by receiving money through multiple business units.
* Expands the USDA Snack Program, which helps schools provide healthy snacks to students during after-school activities to all 50 states and continuing the DOD Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, which provides a variety of fresh produce to schools.
* The legislation also includes critical provisions that support Democratic efforts to make our nation energy independent and fight global warming. The bill makes historic investment in renewable energy programs providing $2 billion in loan guarantees for the development of refineries that process renewable fuels, a key step toward bringing more renewable fuels to market in America and includes $1.5 billion for production incentives for ethanol and biodiesel made from agricultural, forest, and waste plant materials.
* Strengthens and enhances the food stamp program by reforming benefit rules to improve coverage of food costs and expand access to the program with additional funding support.
* Includes key provisions that invest in rural communities nationwide, including economic development programs and access to broadband telecommunication services.
* Establishes a new National Agriculture Research Program Office to coordinate the programs and activities of USDA's research agencies to minimize duplication and maximize coordination at all levels and creates a competitive grants program.
* Protects and sustains our nation's forest resources.
* Makes important new investments in renewable energy research, development and production in rural America.

Approves language that will finally allow full implementation of Mandatory Country of Origin Labeling for meat in the Farm Bill. This language is a victory for consumers who overwhelmingly support the program.

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