The past year was one of lost opportunities in Congressional action on what was to be the 2007 Federal farm bill. Going into 2007, an unusual set of forces from both the left and the right had proposed a series of reforms in crop commodity subsidies and conservation programs. The stage was set for the kind of new directions that occurred with the 1985 farm bill, when agricultural producer and environmental groups agreed to continuation of commodity subsidies in return for major new conservation provisions and programs.
The House of Representatives passed its version of a new farm bill in July, but it was not until December that the Senate passed its version. Conference Committee deliberations to resolve differences in the two bills are expected to begin soon. However, unless the President’s threat of veto forces Congress to make major changes, resulting legislation is likely to fall far short of hopes expressed in most of the progressive reform agendas.
Failures and modest successes in the farm and food policy process to date, as we enter the Conference Committee stage, can be grouped in three areas: (1) commodity subsidies; (2) agri-environmental programs; and (3) healthy food initiatives.
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