Conference Report on H.R. 2419, Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008

Floor Speech

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Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I want to commend Chairman Peterson for working tirelessly over the past year and a half to craft this farm bill--legislation that may not be perfect, but which takes our Nation in a new direction in agriculture policy.

This farm bill makes important reforms in the commodity title, while continuing to provide a safety net for our small- and mid-sized farmers--farmers like those I represent in southern Maryland.

The bill tightens payment limits, eliminates loopholes that have been exploited to get around those limits, and makes payments transparent by requiring direct attribution to a single individual.

I am proud that this bill takes important steps to ensure that our children and those in need will have the resources they need to live healthy lives.

Its nutrition title includes more than $10 billion to better stock food banks and pantries, provide healthy snacks to schoolchildren, and reform the food stamp program by tying it to inflation.

It is important to note that this bill also makes record investments in conservation, renewable energy, and rural development, which will enable our producers to better protect our environment and bolster economic development in our rural communities.

I am particularly pleased that this legislation includes $438 million in direct assistance over the next 10 years to help our farmers in their ongoing efforts to be good stewards of the Chesapeake Bay.

While we have been able to make some strides in our efforts to restore this magnificent estuary, it is clear that there is much work to be done.

Recently, the University of Maryland Center for Environment Science issued a report card which rated the bay's health a C-minus.

Ironically, this slight improvement over the previous year was largely due to drought conditions that limited nutrient and sediment runoff into the bay.

The funds included in this farm bill will help farmers throughout the watershed control erosion and reduce sediment and nutrient levels. Their efforts will help enhance, restore, and conserve this ecologically significant habitat.

The legislation also directs the Secretary of Agriculture to give special consideration to producers in specific, targeted river watersheds, including those of the Potomac and the Patuxent.

Our concerted effort to restore these significant tributaries will go a long way to bolstering the health of the great body of water into which they all empty--the Chesapeake Bay.

Finally, I want to express my support for the Enhanced Use Lease Authority Pilot Program. This program seeks to create a national model at the National Agricultural Library and our Nation's flagship agricultural research facility--the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center. This program will enable them to partner on-site with public and private facilities to enhance the mission of USDA-ARS and address much needed facilities upgrades in a timely and efficient fashion.

Again, I want to congratulate Chairman Peterson on this bill--a farm bill that will be noted for putting America's agricultural policy on the right track and laying the foundation for more far reaching reforms in the future.

I urge my colleagues to join with me in supporting this legislation.

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