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Farm bill, renewable fuels expected to be top ag issues for lawmakers

by Amy Beth Graves

Ohio agriculture is well represented in the new Congress, with three Ohioans on ag committees. U.S. Reps. Republican Jean Schmidt and Democrat Zack Space have been appointed to the House Committee on Agriculture and Democrat Sherrod Brown is on the Senate Agriculture Committee.

"It’s been a long time since Ohio had both Republicans and Democrats on the House agriculture committee and any seats on the Senate ag committee. It’s very unique and good for Ohio," said Adam Sharp, senior director of national and regulatory affairs for Ohio Farm Bureau Federation.

The House ag committee has 25 Democrats and 21 Republicans while the Senate committee has 11 Democrats and 10 Republicans.

For years, U.S. Rep. John Boehner was the only Ohioan on a congressional ag committee and served as vice chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture. Boehner, who was first elected to Congress in 1990, is now House minority leader but is still active in ag committee activities. His 16^th annual farm forum is scheduled for March 10 in Piqua with U.S. Deputy Agriculture Secretary Chuck Conner as the keynote speaker.

This year is a critical one for U.S. agriculture because it is expected that the 2002 Farm Bill will be rewritten. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has been holding farm forums nationwide for more than a year to gather input on what the next farm bill should look like. The Bush administration has said that it wants the farm bill to be rewritten this year. Some ag groups have pushed for the farm bill to be extended since the World Trade Organization (WTO) talks fell through this summer, saying the United States won’t have any leverage if its farm program is overhauled before WTO talks continue.

Space said he asked to be put on the agriculture committee, explaining that his southeastern Ohio district needs agriculture and agribusiness for long-term economic development.

"Southeastern Ohio is blessed with abundant natural resources, and it’s important that we do everything possible to capitalize on those gifts we’ve been given," Space said in a news release after his appointment. "Whether you’re a farmer or whether you’re employed in the agribusiness industry, the decisions made on this committee are integrally related to your day-to-day life."

Renewable fuel is another key issue expected to be addressed by the congressional agriculture committees this year, Sharp said. Last month, Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns announced a plan to have $1.6 billion in new funding for renewable energy. In his State of the Union address, President Bush called for having ethanol refineries produce 35 billion gallons a year by 2017, reducing gasoline usage by about 20 percent.

To keep Ohio’s lawmakers up-to-date about issues that affect farmers, county Farm Bureaus have been holding meetings with them in their districts, Sharp said. In March county Farm Bureau presidents will travel to Washington, D.C. to talk with members of Congress about the farm bill and other pressing matters. Ohio Farm Bureau also plans to set up a series of meetings for lawmakers to hear firsthand from farmers.

"Our goal is to educate our members of Congress about the farm bill and other pertinent issues like energy, conservation, rural development and biobased purchasing opportunities," Sharp said. "This is an important year for agriculture and Farm Bureau will be actively involved."