Thursday, October 19, 2006
CONTACT: Barry E. Piatt
or Brenden Timpe
PHONE: 202-224-2551
DORGAN AND GRASSLEY PRESS USDA TO COMPLETE DATABASE THAT WOULD TRACK PAYMENTS TO CORPORATE MEGA-FARMS
Senators say farm payments should go to family farmers, not corporate mega-farms
(WASHINGTON, D.C.) --- U.S. Senators Byron Dorgan (D-ND) and Charles Grassley (R-IA) pressed the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) last week to complete a database it is developing that would track payments to cooperatives and corporate mega-farmers, and allow policy makers to better target the farm program to help support family farmers.
As a result of work by Senators Dorgan and Grassley, the 2002 Farm Bill required USDA to develop a database to track the recipients of farm payments. In June, USDA released a preliminary file, which listed all entities that receive farm payments. But the agency has failed to deliver on a promise to finish work on the database by August, and release additional information about how many farm payments each entity has received.
In a letter to USDA, Dorgan and Grassley called on the agency to finish work on the database and to explain why it has continued to drag its feet.
“It’s been four years since Congress passed the 2002 Farm Bill. It is unbelievable that we are still waiting on USDA to finish this database,” Dorgan said. “When the majority in Congress is pushing for cuts to the farm safety net, we shouldn’t be paying millions of dollars to corporate mega-farms that don’t need the help.”
"The run-around we've been getting from the Department of Agriculture is unacceptable,” Grassley said. “In order for Congress to make good decisions during the upcoming farm bill debate, we must have the best available information."
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