November 5, 2007: The Senate Works on a Farm Bill

[17:00]
The Senate has just adjourned. It will convene tomorrow morning at 10:00. The pending business is the Farm Bill, H.R. 2419.

Senators have been informed that debate could be interrupted for votes on a continuing resolution to renew government funding levels and/or a potential override of the President's veto of a water resources bill.

A Hard Cap on Safety Net Payments

[18:13]
Byron Dorgan (ND) is voicing his support for the farm bill. He wants to see it get done right away so that farmers can prepare for next spring's planting season with some certainty of mind.

He says that "big, corporate agrifactories" can make it through the hard times. "If they wanna farm two, three counties, God help 'em. I just don't think that the government needs to be their banker."

He is sponsoring an amendment with Grassley that would put a payment cap on so-called safety net payments to farmers. There is a safety net provision already in the bill but Dorgan and Grassley, with a mind to focusing the bill's provisions so as to help small farmers, want to put a cap on those payments.

Their cap would be $250k/year AND, to receive that payment, you would have to show that you are indeed active in farming.

To justify his amendment he cites an "arts patron" in San Francisco—who also happens to be the heiress of a farmer—as having collected $1.25m through such "safety net" payments last year.

[18:08]
Grassley will offer an amendment to the bill that would institute a "hard cap" on "safety net" payments to farmers in the bill. That cap would be $250k. He observes that the problem with gov't safety net payments has been big corporate farms getting a huge portion of payouts under prior farm bills. He said that 10% of farms have been getting 72% of funds under the U.S Farm Program.

The safety net payments are a type of insurance payment that farmers can claim under a variety of circumstances ranging from weather to trade fights to high energy prices.

COOL: Country of Origin Labeling

[18:00]
Charles Grassley (IA) is previewing the Farm Bill. He says that the bill contains a COOL provision. COOL stands for "Country of Origin Labeling." If this part of the bill sticks, all food we buy will have to contain labeling indicating where the food has come from. Such labeling requirements are not currently mandatory. Grassley says that there is opposition to this provision but it stands as good a chance as ever of getting through.

Today

The Senate will convene at 14:00 and will be in a period of morning business until 15:00, with Senators permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each.

At 15:00, the Senate will proceed to the consideration of H.R. 2419, the Farm, Nutrition, and Bioenergy Act of 2007 (The Farm Bill). There will be no roll call votes during Monday's session of the Senate.

The Week Ahead

This week, the Senate will begin consideration of The Farm Bill, and may turn to the consideration of the veto override of H.R. 1495, the Water Resources and Development Act of 2007, or any other items on the Legislative or Executive Calendar cleared for action.

On November 7, at 11:00, His Excellency Nicolas Sarkozy, President of France, will address a Joint Meeting of Congress in the Hall of the House of Representatives in the U.S. Capitol.