Forum Discusses Farm Bill, Future of U.S. Agriculture
Speakers at the National Forum on U.S. Agricultural Policy and the 2007 Farm Bill include Secretary Johanns.
Compiled by staff
Published: Sep 27, 2006
American Farmland Trust (AFT), Stanford University's Woods Institute for the Environment, and Yale University's School of Forestry and the Environment are sponsoring the National Forum on U.S. Agricultural Policy and the 2007 Farm Bill: Conserving the Ecological Integrity and Economic Resilience of American Agriculture.
Forum participants, including USDA Secretary Mike Johanns, are discussing ideas such as the transition to future farm support programs, the role and possible improvement of existing support programs, investing in rural infrastructure, smoothing out international trade conflicts, and accounting for ecosystem services and payment programs.
AFT President Ralph Grossi spoke about current thought on Farm Bill changes. "I think the question is what will [the] change look like and who will develop the new policies that work if agriculture doesn't take charge of its own destiny."
Grossi said part of the forum's purpose is to bring together key players and minds from farm and government groups in order to put together policy options and programs that Congress can put into place.
"We can transform U.S. farm policy to meet the needs of a new American agriculture, the environment and taxpayers, and we deserve programs that benefit those concerns," Grossi said.
Background papers from the forums will be published next year.
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Tagged: farm, farm bill, usda, accounting
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