Farmers, Families, Fishermen in Oregon Get Help From Farm Bill

By Amy Hsuan and Charlie Pope, The Oregonian, Portland, Ore.

May 15–The U.S. House of Representatives passed Wednesday a $290 billion bill that would offer a boost to Oregon farmers, fishermen and low-income families, if it withstands a veto by President Bush.

The bill, which passed with a 318-106 vote in the House, will need a two-thirds majority vote in the Senate today in order to override Bush’s promised veto.

But skyrocketing prices for corn, wheat and soy are fueling controversy over government subsidies to farmers reaping record profits this year. At the same time, the bill offers about $200 billion to help poor Americans with rising food costs. That would be a $10.3 billion increase over 10 years.

Among the farm bill’s many critics emerges a most unlikely Bush ally: Rep. Earl Blumenauer, a Portland Democrat, who argued Wednesday that the sweeping bill is a colossal mistake.

“I do not always agree with President Bush but I hope fervently he does veto this,” said Blumenauer, who claims the bill shortchanges the environment, international trade and struggling family farms.

The Senate Agriculture Committee put the bill’s final cost at $290 billion over five years, based on figures compiled this week by congressional budget experts. The bill had been estimated at $300 billion.

The bill doesn’t offer as much to Oregon as other states where corn, wheat and other commodities fill silos and get big subsidies, but still there are many who stand to win:

West Coast salmon fishermen would get $170 million after record low salmon runs nearly closed the season.

Specialty crop growers, which make up a large percentage of Oregon farmers, would receive grant money for the first time. Fruit and vegetable growers will get funds to start programs to market Oregon products overseas. And Oregon’s $1.3 billion nursery industry, the state’s largest agricultural industry, will get money to start a pest and disease prevention program.

“It’s not a subsidy, but it’s extremely important for the growers in the Northwest,” said John Aguirre, executive director of the Oregon Association of Nurseries. “Pests and disease cost Oregon growers millions of dollars each year.”

Perhaps the biggest boon for Oregon would come to 460,000 state residents on food stamps, who would receive more than $160 million over the next 10 years. Oregon has one of the highest participation rates nationally in federally subsidized nutrition programs. The bill’s nutrition spending makes up the bulk of the $290 billion.

“It would put more food dollars in family pockets at a time when they really need it,” said Patti Whitney-Wise, executive director of the Oregon Hunger Relief Task Force. “We’re at a time of rising fuel costs, food costs and wages aren’t rising as much as the cost of living.”

But also buried within the 673-page bill are pet projects, payments for people who own land but don’t farm any more and subsidies for big farmers who grow a few select commodities, mostly in the Midwest. A farmer can make up to $1.5 million and still receive subsidies.

Many opponents of the bill say the subsidies to profitable farmers don’t help bring down spiking food costs for consumers. And they say the bill doesn’t go far enough to remedy inequities between large and small farmers, a long-running debate around farm bill reform.

“The idea that this is a significant movement in the direction of reform really fails the laugh test,” said Rep. Ron Kind, D-Wis., who joined Blumenauer and two Republican critics of the bill. “And I think the president is right when he says we can do better. There’s no justifiable reason to look taxpayers in the eye and tell them, ‘We have to use some of your money in order to give lavish subsidies to wealthy individuals.’ “

In addition, environmental groups such as the National Wildlife Federation and the Defenders of Wildlife, normally silent on the farm bill, have actively campaigned against it.

The bill allots $4 billion in new money for conservation programs, but shrinks protection for native grasslands. Environmental advocates say the money isn’t enough to safeguard water quality or wildlife habitat.

“With the high cost of commodities, farmers and ranchers are pulling up more land and increasing production,” said Sara Hopper, an attorney for the Environmental Defense Fund. “We need more money to mitigate that.”

Tom McCoy, who farms 3,000 acres of wheat 30 miles east of The Dalles, said the farm bill in years past has been a lifeline for farmers.

McCoy, a farmer since 1975, said during the late 1990s the government check he received each year was his only income. This year’s record prices, he says, are the first in 15 years.

“We may not need the subsidies this year but we need some framework because there’s a lot of ups and downs in this industry,” McCoy said. “A lot of farmers don’t think the good times are going to last.”

By Amy Hsuan and Charlie Pope

The Associated Press contributed to this story

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