Senator includes funding for farm ownership and operation

          WASHINGTON – The U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee today approved Sen. Herb Kohl’s proposal to include $585 million in loans to support local farming and agriculture in the FY09 Supplemental Appropriations bill. The bill includes $360 million for direct farm ownership loans and $225 million for direct operating loans through the USDA’s Farm Service Authority.

“I recognize that these are extraordinary times for American agriculture with turmoil in credit markets and depressed dairy prices,” Kohl said. “One way to counter this problem is to include loans for farm ownership and operation to help local farmers stay competitive during these tough economic times.”  

Kohl is Chairman of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations panel and has continued to work for the agriculture industry and local farmers by including farm credit provisions in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that Congress passed earlier this year. Additionally, Senator Kohl fought to include the feed cost adjuster for the Milk Income Loss Contract (MILC) program in the 2008 Farm Bill.

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