NCGA Delegates Approve 2007 Farm Bill Resolution (7-20-06)

Corn growers continued their work on the 2007 farm bill in Washington, D.C., last week during the National Corn Growers Association’s (NCGA) Corn Congress, where delegates reviewed NCGA’s farm policy program and approved a resolution to update the policy.
 
The 126 corn-grower delegates approved a policy recommendation directing “NCGA to support the National Farm Security Act as a focus for the Commodity Title of the 2007 Farm Bill. This effort will advocate for an appropriate implementation transition period.”
 
The action followed a review and debate on a proposed revenue-based farm safety net to protect producers against volatile commodity prices and substantial yield losses. 

Presented as the National Farm Security Act, the proposal was recommended by NCGA’s Public Policy Action Team (PPAT) after months of evaluating studies and analysis of various farm support concepts.

 “NCGA intends to develop and advance a multi-tiered revenue based program concept as an option for Title I (Commodity Title),” said Gerald Tumbleson, NCGA president. “NCGA will continue the farm bill discussion process working with other commodity groups to evaluate the best available options for producers.”
 
Tumbleson said Title I is the heart of the farm bill for producers. “Title I is of such great importance to corn growers, and NCGA believes very strongly in working toward policies that will provide a better, broader safety net for growers,” he said. “The revenue-based safety net option would cover both price and yield.  Today’s farm bill offers a producer protection against adverse markets and crop losses through a combination of price based support programs and federal crop insurance.”

In March, NCGA delegates approved NCGA farm policy resolutions that direct the organization to take into “consideration the 2002 farm bill’s strengths when making recommendations to the 2007 farm bill.” Also included in the policy is text stating that “if at an appropriate time it is determined that extending the current farm bill is the best option, NCGA will support that extension through 2012.”