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<div class="">December 5, 2012</div>
<h1>Stalled Farm Bill Is Pushed for Its Savings</h1>
<h6 class="">By
<span>
<a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/n/ron_nixon/index.html" rel="author" title="More Articles by RON NIXON"><span>RON NIXON</span></a></span></h6>
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<p><span class=""><a class="" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/06/us/politics/stalled-farm-bill-could-help-with-deficit-reduction.html?_r=0&pagewanted=print#p[WAPWAP]" title="Link to 1st paragraph">¶</a></span>
WASHINGTON — As President Obama and Republican leaders try to avoid
automatic spending cuts and tax increases beginning in the new year,
several lawmakers say a stalled <a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/f/farm_bill_us/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier" title="More articles about the Farm Bill (U.S.)." class="">farm bill</a> that reshapes nutrition and agriculture programs could contribute billions of dollars in savings. </p>
<p><span class=""><a class="" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/06/us/politics/stalled-farm-bill-could-help-with-deficit-reduction.html?_r=0&pagewanted=print#p[SDSSDS]" title="Link to 2nd paragraph">¶</a></span>
Senator <a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/s/debbie_stabenow/index.html?inline=nyt-per" title="More articles about Debbie Stabenow." class="">Debbie Stabenow</a>,
Democrat of Michigan and chairwoman of the Senate Agriculture
Committee, and Representative Frank D. Lucas, Republican of Oklahoma and
chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, are trying to persuade
administration and Congressional leaders to include the measure in
negotiations that are seeking to avoid more than $500 billion in tax
increases and more than $100 billion in automatic spending cuts that
would go into effect next year. </p>
<p><span class=""><a class="" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/06/us/politics/stalled-farm-bill-could-help-with-deficit-reduction.html?_r=0&pagewanted=print#p[BlvBlv]" title="Link to 3rd paragraph">¶</a></span>
Both lawmakers have sponsored versions of a farm bill with steep
spending cuts that would help with deficit reduction, they said. </p>
<p><span class=""><a class="" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/06/us/politics/stalled-farm-bill-could-help-with-deficit-reduction.html?_r=0&pagewanted=print#p[TFBIon]" title="Link to 4th paragraph">¶</a></span>
“The Farm Bill is the only bipartisan deficit reduction bill that passed
the Senate this year. It’s only natural it should be part of a larger
deficit reduction agreement,” said Ms. Stabenow, who along with other
leaders of the House and Senate agriculture committees, met last week
with Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to discuss including a new
five-year bill in any deal between the White House and Congress. </p>
<p><span class=""><a class="" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/06/us/politics/stalled-farm-bill-could-help-with-deficit-reduction.html?_r=0&pagewanted=print#p[WtOWtO]" title="Link to 5th paragraph">¶</a></span>
While the Obama administration has not decided whether to include the
bill in its talks with Congress, officials have indicated that they
would be open to overhauling some farm programs to narrow the deficit.
</p>
<p><span class=""><a class="" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/06/us/politics/stalled-farm-bill-could-help-with-deficit-reduction.html?_r=0&pagewanted=print#p[WaaWaa]" title="Link to 6th paragraph">¶</a></span>
When asked about what role farm policy might play in the deficit
reduction talks, Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner said on “Face
the Nation” on Sunday that changes to farm subsidies were “very
important” and could “raise substantial amounts of money.” </p>
<p class=""><span><span class=""><a class="" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/06/us/politics/stalled-farm-bill-could-help-with-deficit-reduction.html?_r=0&pagewanted=print#p[TfbMfh]" title="Link to 7th paragraph">¶</a></span>
The farm bill, which comes up for debate every five years and finances
hundreds of programs, including crop insurance and food stamps, expired
on Sept.</span> <span>30. Most farmers have not seen any
immediate repercussions because the bill, passed in 2008, covers most
subsidy and loan programs into the next planting season, which begins in
the spring</span>.</p>
<p><span class=""><a class="" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/06/us/politics/stalled-farm-bill-could-help-with-deficit-reduction.html?_r=0&pagewanted=print#p[IJtTbw]" title="Link to 8th paragraph">¶</a></span>
In June, the Senate passed a $969 billion farm bill that saved $23
billion over 10 years by cutting several farm subsidies and nutrition
programs. About $4.5 billion of the savings came from cuts to food
stamps. The bill would also eliminate $5 billion in so-called direct
payments that are given to farmers or landowners whether or not they
grow crops. </p>
<p><span class=""><a class="" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/06/us/politics/stalled-farm-bill-could-help-with-deficit-reduction.html?_r=0&pagewanted=print#p[THATHv]" title="Link to 9th paragraph">¶</a></span>
The House Agriculture Committee has passed its version of the bill,
which saves even more: about $35 billion over 10 years. <span style="color:rgb(255,0,0)"><b>About $16
billion of the savings would come from cuts to the food stamps program.
</b></span>The House version would also eliminate $5 billion in direct payments.
</p>
<p><span class=""><a class="" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/06/us/politics/stalled-farm-bill-could-help-with-deficit-reduction.html?_r=0&pagewanted=print#p[BboAgo]" title="Link to 10th paragraph">¶</a></span>
But because of disagreements among Republicans about whether the program cuts are deep enough, the <a title="New York Times article" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/13/us/congressional-deal-on-a-farm-bill-appears-unlikely.html">bill never made it</a> to the floor for a vote. <span style="color:rgb(255,0,0)"><b>A group of conservatives is holding out for almost double the proposed cuts to food stamps.</b></span> </p>
<p><span class=""><a class="" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/06/us/politics/stalled-farm-bill-could-help-with-deficit-reduction.html?_r=0&pagewanted=print#p[MLsMLs]" title="Link to 11th paragraph">¶</a></span>
Mr. Lucas said the bill’s only real chance for passage is if lawmakers
decide to use its savings as part of the debt negotiations. </p>
<p><span class=""><a class="" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/06/us/politics/stalled-farm-bill-could-help-with-deficit-reduction.html?_r=0&pagewanted=print#p[THATHA]" title="Link to 12th paragraph">¶</a></span>
“The House Ag Committee has demonstrated $35 billion in real cash
savings — it’s got to make us important to somebody in this process,” he
said last week after the meeting with the agriculture secretary.
</p>
<p><span class=""><a class="" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/06/us/politics/stalled-farm-bill-could-help-with-deficit-reduction.html?_r=0&pagewanted=print#p[RECREC]" title="Link to 13th paragraph">¶</a></span>
Representative Eric Cantor, the House majority leader, said last month
that the Republican leadership would deal with the farm bill in some
form before the end of the year. </p>
<p><span class=""><a class="" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/06/us/politics/stalled-farm-bill-could-help-with-deficit-reduction.html?_r=0&pagewanted=print#p[MCdHds]" title="Link to 14th paragraph">¶</a></span>
Mr. Cantor did not say if that meant an extension of the 2008 bill or
whether the latest bill might be rolled into any fiscal deal. He did say
that the bill that passed in the Agriculture Committee did not have
enough votes to pass in the House. </p>
<p><span class=""><a class="" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/06/us/politics/stalled-farm-bill-could-help-with-deficit-reduction.html?_r=0&pagewanted=print#p[IOCIOC]" title="Link to 15th paragraph">¶</a></span>
In October, Congress passed a stopgap spending measure, known as a
continuing resolution, to ensure that programs like food stamps and
crop insurance continue at current financing levels until March 2013.
</p>
<p><span class=""><a class="" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/06/us/politics/stalled-farm-bill-could-help-with-deficit-reduction.html?_r=0&pagewanted=print#p[BspNcp]" title="Link to 16th paragraph">¶</a></span>
But several programs, including those that provide assistance to dairy,
beef and poultry producers, have stopped because their financing ran out
when the farm bill expired. Among those is a program called the <a href="http://www.fsa.usda.gov/FSA/webapp?area=home&subject=prsu&topic=mpp-mi">Milk Income Loss Contract</a>,
which paid dairy producers when milk prices fell too low or feed prices
climbed too high. Numerous conservation programs that helped farmers
fight erosion and preserve farmland have also expired or had their
financing reduced since the bill expired. </p>
<p><span class=""><a class="" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/06/us/politics/stalled-farm-bill-could-help-with-deficit-reduction.html?_r=0&pagewanted=print#p[AptCwu]" title="Link to 17th paragraph">¶</a></span>
A program that provided relief to beef and poultry producers in times of
drought and other disasters also expired, leaving farmers in
drought-stricken areas vulnerable. Congress was unable to renew the
program before lawmakers left for the November elections. </p>
<p><span class=""><a class="" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/06/us/politics/stalled-farm-bill-could-help-with-deficit-reduction.html?_r=0&pagewanted=print#p[WteAsf]" title="Link to 18th paragraph">¶</a></span>
While the expiration of farm programs presents challenges for farmers
until a new bill is passed, agriculture experts say a bigger issue is
that on Jan. 1, many farm programs will revert to a 1949 farm law, the
last permanent farm bill. All subsequent farm bills have been amendments
to the older law. </p>
<p><span class=""><a class="" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/06/us/politics/stalled-farm-bill-could-help-with-deficit-reduction.html?_r=0&pagewanted=print#p[CafTol]" title="Link to 19th paragraph">¶</a></span>
Carl Zulauf, a farm policy expert at Ohio State University, said the
1949 law is not suited to today’s realities. The old law, he said, would
reintroduce higher government price supports for corn, rice, wheat and
other crops and could lead to higher consumer prices and federal
spending. </p>
<p><span class=""><a class="" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/06/us/politics/stalled-farm-bill-could-help-with-deficit-reduction.html?_r=0&pagewanted=print#p[IanIan]" title="Link to 20th paragraph">¶</a></span>
If a new farm bill is not in place, government-supported prices for milk
would be about four times higher than current law and about twice as
high as current market prices, Mr. Zulauf said. </p>
<p><span class=""><a class="" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/06/us/politics/stalled-farm-bill-could-help-with-deficit-reduction.html?_r=0&pagewanted=print#p[TNMTNM]" title="Link to 21st paragraph">¶</a></span>
The National Milk Producers Federation said that could cause milk prices to rise to $6 a gallon. </p>
<p><span class=""><a class="" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/06/us/politics/stalled-farm-bill-could-help-with-deficit-reduction.html?_r=0&pagewanted=print#p[TldTld]" title="Link to 22nd paragraph">¶</a></span>
The 1949 law did not provide price support coverage for crops like
soybeans, peanuts or sugar. The law also does not support programs that
encourage more fruit and vegetable production, help farmers’ markets, or
provide assistance to minority farmers. These programs are currently
without financing because they are authorized by the farm bill that
expired. </p>
<p><span class=""><a class="" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/06/us/politics/stalled-farm-bill-could-help-with-deficit-reduction.html?_r=0&pagewanted=print#p[MZsMZs]" title="Link to 23rd paragraph">¶</a></span>
Mr. Zulauf said he expected Congress to deal with the farm bill before Jan. 1. </p>
<p><span class=""><a class="" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/06/us/politics/stalled-farm-bill-could-help-with-deficit-reduction.html?_r=0&pagewanted=print#p[ChaBit]" title="Link to 24th paragraph">¶</a></span>
“Congress has almost always been late in passing farm bills,” he said.
“The last farm bill was passed a year after it expired, so this is not
unusual. But if they let agriculture programs revert to the old law, it
would be a disaster.” </p>
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____________________<br>The USA, one of the richest countries wants to deprive many of its most unfortunate citizens one of the basics of life: Food.<br><br>The current GOP: mean spirited, selfish, and of those who claim to be Christians: utter hypocrisy and dishonesty [See Matt 25: 31- 46].<br>
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