Robert P. Casey Jr.

January 5, 2008

Source: Lancaster Intelligencer Journal

By Michael Yoder

LANCASTER COUNTY, PA - With the Pennsylvania Farm Show set to begin this morning, agriculture is on the minds of many people across the commonwealth.

And it was on the mind of U.S. Sen. Bob Casey Friday afternoon at the Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg, as he touted a new farm bill set to be voted on in Congress.

Casey addressed the bill's likely effects on Pennsylvania farmers and residents. He said that although many long-term agricultural issues are not addressed in the bill, congressional committees did their best to tackle long-standing questions such as those regarding land preservation, crop subsidies and farm labor.

"Not one bill, not one year, maybe not even one term, is enough to tackle some of these problems," Casey said. "These issues defy party labels."

One of the most important items for Pennsylvania farmers, Casey said, is the Specialty Crops Competition Act. He said the legislation is "unprecedented" and will have a major economic impact on Pennsylvania's agriculture producers, putting into the farm bill many fruits and vegetables that had never been addressed there before.

Casey said specialty producers finally will have access to federal funds for disaster relief, research and trade.

The addition of specialty agricultural products in the farm bill will have a direct effect on nutrition, Casey said, with $4 billion in new funding going into nutrition programs and the promotion of eating fresh fruits and vegetables.

Casey said through the bill he is trying to expand a fresh fruit and vegetable program from its current 14 states to a nationwide program, providing up to 4.5 million children from low-income families with free fresh fruits and vegetables at schools and creating a new generation of customers for specialty crops. "We should be pushing and pushing fruits and vegetables, especially for children, so they can grow to be healthier and know a good habit," Casey said.

Casey said he was able to get nine amendments to the farm bill passed in Senate committees. One of the most important, he said, involves the cost of producing and pricing milk. Casey said he wanted to ensure dairy farmers get fair milk prices that cover the cost of production, and an amendment to the bill includes a mandatory daily pricing requirement for dairy processors and a feed-and-fuel index for determining changes to dairy allowances to get the best price.

"That cost-of-production problem is huge, and it's rarely been addressed and focused on until this year," Casey said. "Did we get all of it done? No. But did we make good progress? Yes."

The farm bill could be passed when Congress comes back into session Jan. 22, Casey said. He also said President Bush might veto the bill so he appears to be tough on spending, while speaking out against farm subsidies. "I hope the president, in his last year in office, doesn't use the farm bill as a way to flex his muscles and pretend that he has been a great fiscal steward," Casey said. "He should figure out another way to do that."