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News
from Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin
For Immediate Release
Contact: Chip Weiskotten, 202-226-8553
Russ Levsen, 202-226-4449
FARM
BILL PASSES HOUSE AG COMMITTEE – INCLUDES HERSETH SANDLIN AMENDMENTS
Bill
Would Maintain Safety Net for Producers, Delay Closure of FSA Offices,
Finally Implement Mandatory COOL, Increase Rural Broadband Access, Invest
in Cellulosic Ethanol Research and Aid Beginning Farmers and Ranchers
July 20,
2007, Washington, D.C. –
U.S. Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin today praised the passage of the
2007 Farm Bill from the House Agriculture Committee. Rep. Herseth Sandlin,
who serves on that committee, authored and passed a number of amendments
and provisions to ensure that South Dakota priorities are reflected
in the bill, including language to delay closure of Farm Service Agency
(FSA) offices, assist beginning farmers and ranchers, discourage the
conversion of native sod to cropland, invest in new cellulosic ethanol
technologies, and increase broadband internet access in rural America.
Importantly, the
bill maintains a strong safety net for producers, while making a number
of smart reforms to crack down on abuses and loopholes in the system,
including ending the three-entity rule and lowering payment limits.
The bill also adheres to strict “pay-as-you-go” rules in the House that
require any new spending be offset with cuts elsewhere.
Rep. Herseth Sandlin
said, “We have passed a strong, smart and fair Farm Bill that does right
by South Dakota and will provide tremendous benefits to American agriculture
for the next five years. The bill balances a complex set of issues and
competing priorities, but makes common sense reforms. Through these
reforms, we not only save money but better target this bill to small-
and medium-sized family producers – as well producers whose primary
income is derived from agriculture. We also make it much more difficult
to game and abuse the system and we will all benefit from that in the
long run.”
The committee also
reached a framework agreement regarding country-of-origin labeling (COOL)
that maintains the mandatory nature of the law, as well as a requirement
that only animals born, raised and slaughtered in this country can receive
a USA label. Rep. Herseth Sandlin said, “This is a clear victory for
South Dakota producers and consumers alike. We have been fighting attempts
all week to weaken or water down COOL, and ultimately we retained both
the mandatory requirement as well as the born-raised-slaughtered standard.
With this agreement, only those animals that meet all three criteria
will get a USA label, and that is as it should be. Anything less would
have presented American consumers with false or incomplete information
about the source of the food they’re putting on their table.”
The bill was agreed
to late last night in the House Agriculture Committee and will be considered
on the full House floor next week.
Amendments and provisions
authored by Rep. Herseth Sandlin and added to the bill include:
Delay USDA
County Office Closures
This amendment would
prevent the Farm Service Agency, the Rural Development Agency, and the
Natural Resources Conservation Service from closing any county or field
offices for one year after the enactment of the overall Farm Bill.
Strengthen
Sodsaver
This amendment removed
a provision from the bill that would have allowed local FSA county committees
to waive the “sodsaver” provisions in the bill. The sodsaver provisions
deny crop insurance on any crops planted in newly converted native sod
for the first four years after that land is broken, and therefore enhance
soil quality and conservation by protecting native sod and grassland.
Access to
Broadband Internet in Rural America
The Rural Development
title includes Rep. Herseth Sandlin’s legislation to improve access
to broadband telecommunications services in rural areas. It ensures
Rural Utility Service (RUS) broadband loans will be directed to companies
providing service to unserved households, like many areas in South Dakota
and rural America. The changes made in the Farm Bill show important
progress in the effort to reform the RUS Broadband Loan Program.
Beginning
Farmers and Ranchers
The bill includes
language sponsored by Rep. Herseth Sandlin and Rep. Tim Walz of Minnesota
to help beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers succeed in agriculture
and ensure that family-based agriculture in this country thrives for
generations to come.
Public Television
Digital Transition Grant Program
This amendment to
the Rural Development Title of the Farm Bill allows the Secretary of
Agriculture to make grants to enable Public Television Stations in South
Dakota and other rural areas to upgrade from analog to digital broadcasting
equipment, facilities and infrastructure. The program responds to the
unique distribution and fundraising challenges presented to rural Public
Television stations serving sparsely populated communities.
Enzyme Feedstocks
This amendment broadens
the technologies that are eligible for funding under the Biomass Research
and Development Initiative to include promising research to develop
plants that are engineered to contain cellulose enzymes within the plant.
Agronomist
on the Biomass Research and Development Technical Advisory Committee
This amendment directs
the Secretary of Agriculture to include an individual on the Biomass
Research and Development Technical Advisory Committee with expertise
in agronomy, crop science, or soil science.
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Congresswoman
Stephanie Herseth Sandlin serves South Dakota in the U.S. House of Representatives.
She is a member of the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of moderate Democrats
committed to fiscal discipline and strong national security, and is
co-chair of the Rural Working Group, which is dedicated to raising the
profile of issues important to rural America. She also serves on three
committees vital to South Dakota’s interests: Agriculture, Veterans’
Affairs and Natural Resources. In the 110th Congress, Rep. Herseth Sandlin
was appointed to serve on the Select Committee on Energy Independence
and Global Warming.
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