The $300 billion federal farm bill has its share of detractors — namely President George W. Bush — but Connecticut farmers and agriculture officials have no such qualms.
A bipartisan Senate recently overrode Bush’s veto of the sweeping legislation that some had argued was too generous to wealthy corporate farmers and was fiscally irresponsible.
Those complaints are muted in Connecticut.
“The bill overall is pretty positive for Connecticut,” said Steven Reviczky, executive director of the Connecticut Farm Bureau, a nonprofit group of Connecticut’s farm owners. “There are some really good aspects in the bill for not only us, but the entire Northeast.”
More Positives
F. Philip Prelli, the state Department of Agriculture commissioner, said such a large bill inevitably has sections that help Connecticut and sections that hurt. “If you look at this bill, there are more positives than negatives,” Prelli said.
One obvious way Connecticut benefits from the bill, Prelli said, is the increase in assistance to dairy farmers.
The Milk Income Loss Contract program, which compensates dairy farmers when prices fall below a designated level, will now reimburse at a 45 percent rate instead of the previous 34 percent rate. In addition, the total cap on how much a single farm can receive will be increased.
Specialty Crops
“Dairy isn’t the largest portion of agriculture in the state, but it’s definitely significant,” Prelli said. “About 40 percent of the milk bought in the state is produced here in Connecticut.”
A second boost that Connecticut farmers see from the bill is the increased subsidies for specialty crops, mostly fruits and vegetables. Agriculture officials in states that rely on commodity crops, such as rice, wheat and cotton, balked at the boost for specialty crops.
“We’re happy to see it because most crops in Connecticut are considered specialty crops,” Prelli said. “It’s very important to the orchards, the smaller farmers that focus on a particular fruit, for example.”
Reviczky said Connecticut is not a big commodity crop state, at least based on the makeup of the Connecticut Farm Bureau’s membership.
“Times are changing and there is more emphasis on local food and local fruit and vegetables,” he said. “When you look at energy costs going through the roof, there has to be something to make up for that.”
Similarly, the federal bill also sets aside more than $10 billion over 10 years to boost nutrition programs. As part of that initiative, there will be more food stamps available to be used at local farms. And the bill expands the current program to provide fresh fruit and vegetables to schools.
$7.9B For Conservation
“There’s a rolling number of stamps and coupons that can be used at farmer’s markets that is only going to help there as well,” Prelli said. “The nutrition for children is important to social services, but it’s also important to agriculture because it helps boost production.”
The bill also increases conservation funding by $7.9 billion. Prelli praised that feature, saying it will aid the state in its efforts to conserve farmland.
“Obviously, once you lose farmland, you don’t get it back,” he said. “A lot of projects are fueled by federal funding, so having more available is definitely a good thing.”
There are some technical concerns within the bill from Connecticut farmers, including an ethanol tax credit that does not apply in the state and trade issues regarding commodity payments.
“There are some things that we have concerns about, but it’s a five-year bill,” Prelli said. “We have positives with the milk payments and the specialty crop subsidies. We’re probably going to have to look back in five years and see if it was successful or not.”