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by Amy Beth Graves

Wanted: Ohio farmers' input on what should be covered in the next farm bill.

Work on drafting the 2007 Farm Bill is already underway, and Ohio Farm Bureau Federation (OFBF) has sent a farm bill discussion guide to all county presidents. The goal is to get members' opinions about the structure of the next farm bill and related international agricultural trade policy, said Constance Jackson, vice president of OFBF's agricultural ecology.

"It's time to hear from our members – the people directly affected by farm programs," she said.

The discussion guide focuses on the current state of agriculture and possible challenges in drafting the 2007 Farm Bill. (See story on page 4.)

"One of the challenges is writing this bill when we have a shrinking federal budget. The reality is we might have less money for the next farm bill," said Adam Sharp, director of OFBF's national affairs.

The discussion guide was sent out shortly after Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns started holding a series of forums so the public could comment about farm policy. Johanns has released six general questions that are included in OFBF's discussion guide. OFBF added four questions to help formulate state policy. Oct. 1 is the deadline for returning responses.

The questions are:

1. How should farm policy be designed to maximize U.S. competitiveness?

2. How should farm policy address any unintended consequences and ensure that such consequences do not discourage new farmers and the next generation of farmers from entering production agriculture?

3. How should farm policy be designed to effectively and fairly distribute assistance to producers?

4. How can farm policy best achieve conservation and environmental goals?

5. How can federal and farm programs provide effective assistance in rural areas?

6. How should agricultural product development, marketing and research-related issues be addressed in the next farm bill?

7. Given that the U.S. farm budget may be significantly smaller and that global competitive pressures may force a reduction in commodity program spending, to what extent should Farm Bureau consider significant departures from the current farm program structure?

8. To what extent should Farm Bureau consider shifting commodity program spending into conservation programs, risk management assistance or other activities that provide support to a broader range of producers?

9. Should federal farm policy link farm payments to conservation and environmental programs or standards?

10. How do we respond to critics who contend U.S. farm programs depress global commodity prices and represent a de facto export subsidy?

OFBF will be holding a series of member discussion meetings throughout Ohio to identify areas that are of interest for consideration by the state policy development committee. After that, OFBF will develop a set of recommendations and advocate for them to be included into AFBF policy and ultimately federal policy.

"We hope this effort stimulates specific and thoughtful farm bill policy recommendations," Sharp said. "This is a true grassroots effort."

Caption: U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns (right) with moderator Orion Samuelson during the first farm bill forum held July 7 in Nashville. Photo courtesy of USDA