The Senate approved a farm bill that will “protect farm income, conserve resources, boost economic growth and create jobs,” according to the Senate Ag Committee.
“This new bipartisan farm bill is an important victory for the economy of rural America, and it couldn't come at a more crucial time,” says Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA), ag committee chairman. He calls it an economic recovery package that will also make conservation a “centerpiece of farm policy.”
Yet Sen. Dick Lugar (R-IN) is opposed to the expense and market distortion of the Senate bill.
“The Daschle-Harkin farm bill creates incentives for overproduction by making larger payments to a few big farms, thus guaranteeing overall lower prices for farm commodities and perpetual calls for more assistance by federal lawmakers,” says Lugar.
The Senate bill also includes $20 million for a biodiesel education program. It will now go to a House-Senate Agriculture Conference Committee.