Agricultural News
Ag Retailers Association President Supports Farm Bill Now Rally
Wed, 12 Sep 2012 11:07:12 CDT
Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA) President and CEO Darren Coppock issued the following statement in support of organizations requesting Congressional passage of a comprehensive multi-year Farm Bill:
The most important feature of long term farm legislation is certainty. The importance of certainty for farmers doesn't end at the farm gate. Farm certainty reaches throughout the input supply chain to those farms, whether those inputs be financing, fertilizer, crop protection, seed, equipment, or services and insurance. If farmers don't have certainty about the government policy, their ability to plan for their businesses is hampered. This eventually translates into supply chain congestion, last minute orders and logistics challenges, and price volatility. Farmers and those who serve them can't wait until the 11th hour to plan for their businesses. But, farmers will lack the necessary certainty to plan effectively if a bill can't get done.
Uncertainty also plagues U.S. agriculture in the regulatory arena. The House bill contains vital improvements that remove duplicative, unnecessary and actually harmful pesticide permitting requirements for pesticide applications. There are several reported cases outside of agriculture where these requirements are hampering efforts to control vectors for the West Nile Virus. The House bill also contains provisions to provide more certainty and predictability to our nation's biotechnology regulatory system, and other essential elements. They are very important improvements. But, they'll be lost if the bill doesn't get done.
Clarity is important too, and both Senate and House bills streamline programs, particularly in the conservation area. This should yield greater efficiency and less confusion in our nation's conservation efforts; a win for everyone. However, this will not happen if the bill doesn't get done.
Our nation faces a daunting budget crisis. Both committee bills offer substantial savings, a level of ambition which has not been matched or even attempted by any other authorizing committee in the Congress. But, the savings offered up in the farm bill will not be captured if a bill doesn't get done.
No piece of legislation is perfect. But true to form, both House and Senate committees have reported bipartisan legislation that provides a pathway to conference and a final bill. Congress can do this; and it should.
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