St. Louis, Missouri
October 25, 2007
The
National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) is pleased the
Senate Agriculture Committee included a revenue option in the
2007 farm bill, but is disappointed by the committee’s action to
strip a key component of the optional revenue-based
countercyclical program, the integration with federal crop
insurance. It is a missed opportunity to provide a better risk
management tool in the new farm bill, said NCGA President Ron
Litterer.
Committee Chairman Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) included a state
triggered revenue countercyclical program – called the Average
Crop Revenue (ACR) program – in the package he presented to the
committee this week. Included in that package was a requirement
to integrate crop insurance with the revenue program.
An amendment accepted by the committee on a voice vote stripped
the crop insurance integration from the revenue package. Corn
growers support an optional revenue program starting in 2010.
Litterer—on Capitol Hill for the markup—sees the progression of
events as a first step in a revenue option to improve the farm
bill package. “While we are pleased a revenue package is in the
final bill reported out of committee, NCGA is deeply
disappointed with this setback,” he said. “The amendment makes
the revenue proposal a much less attractive option to growers.”
NCGA has received assurances from Senate Agriculture Committee
Chairman Tom Harkin, Majority Whip Richard Durbin (D-IL), and
Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) that they will work toward a revenue
package that is a viable option for corn producers.
The bill is expected to be on the Senate floor the week of Nov.
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