Etheridge Hosts Annual Congressional Farmers' Breakfast

RALEIGH - U.S. Reps. Bob Etheridge (D-02), David Price (D-04) and Brad Miller (D-13) held this year's annual Congressional Farmers' Breakfast today. Etheridge, a member of the House Agriculture Committee, talked to farmers and their families about the changes facing North Carolina agriculture, especially in light of the tobacco buyout. U.S. Rep. Collin Peterson (D-Minnesota), the Ranking Member on the House Agriculture Committee, was the guest speaker at the breakfast.

"North Carolina agriculture is changing, and our farm families are facing new challenges and uncertainties," Etheridge said. "The passage of the tobacco buyout and the change in the tobacco economy have created a new world for farmers. As North Carolina farm families chart a new course, I will continue to advocate for their needs and for our rural communities. First and foremost, that means turning back the President's tax on farmers and fighting for fair implementation of the buyout."

The President recently unveiled his budget, which cuts $5.7 billion in assistance to farm families, including a 5 percent across the board cut on all farm assistance. The President's budget also imposes new, lower limits on the payments that farm families can receive and reduces the assistance farmers receive to pay for crop insurance premiums. The president's budget also freezes funding for rural education, phases out rural health grants and slashes rural development programs.

Ranking Member Peterson vowed to fight for farm families across the country. "I'm pleased to be in North Carolina to discuss the challenges facing our farmers and rural communities," he said. "President Bush recently proposed enormous cuts to rural America that are unwarranted and unfair. However, with the help of my North Carolina Democratic colleagues, I'm confident we can win the fight to protect the needs of American agriculture."