Published: May 18, 2008 11:57 pm            

Farm Bill far from perfect; we should take what’s there

Take what you can get. It may not be perfect, but it’s the best we’ve got.

Are we talking about a used car?

Nope, we’re talking about the new farm bill passed last week by Congress. Nobody seems happy with the final product, but there seems to be just enough good in it for plenty of people and agriculture organizations to give it at least a lukewarm OK.

The long-overdue legislation, which actually expired last year but was kept alive for months through a series of extensions, now awaits a decision by President Bush, who has repeatedly threatened to veto the bill.

The president says the bill is bloated. His main complaint appears to be over how much a farmer can earn and still receive government subsidies. Bush wants the limit cut to $200,000 in annual gross income, although administration officials have said they could accept a limit of $500,000. The bill sent to the presidents sets the limits at higher than what he wants: eliminating some federal payments to individuals with more than $750,000 in annual farm income — or married farmers who make more than $1.5 million. Individuals who make more than $500,000 or couples who make more than $1 million jointly in nonfarm income also would not eligible for subsidies.

The bill passed both chambers of Congress by veto-proof margins, so if every lawmakers who voted for the bill sticks with it, there is no way a veto would stand.

Our advice to the president is to take the attitude others have taken. This is the best we’re going to get, so sign the bill into law. A veto would just be another loss in Congress for the president and would accomplish nothing. Let’s get farm policy set for another five years and try again when it expires to get a better bill.

We like some of the particulars in the bill, specifically:

• An additional $4 billion for conservation programs.

• A new $3.8 billion disaster-relief fund that would pay farmers for weather-related farm losses.

• $100 million for Small Watershed Rehabilitation Program.

That last item is particularly important.

There are more than 10,000 small upstream flood control dams across the nation, many in Oklahoma. These dams are unsung heroes in the battle against the elements and many are more than 50 years old and older. If anything, we’d like to see more money devoted to this program.

One thing we haven’t liked hearing during the debate over the farm bill is the constant talk of how booming the rural economy is. The people saying that are only going on one thing: high prices for crops like wheat and corn. And, they are saying it just to make political points.

Yes, those prices are high. But, there is a reason for that.

Oklahoma’s last two wheat crops were devastated by weather. The result is prices for wheat went up, which is good if you had wheat to sell. Unfortunately, because of the poor harvests, many farmers didn’t have as much to sell as they usually would.

What everyone railing about all these farmers raking in the cash is ignoring, though, is how much more it’s costing to produce the food we put on our tables. High fuel and fertilizer costs are really hurting farmers.

Ask any farmer, and he will tell you the only constant in agriculture is change. Wheat prices are proof of that. They’ve been falling from their lofty highs earlier this year, and plenty of experts say they will continue to fall. And, there are no guarantees the weather will cooperate when it comes time for harvest.

The farm bill is designed as a long-term safety net, one we need so farmers can do their job, which is to put food on our tables.