WASHINGTON - House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin C. Peterson
(D-MN) and Ranking Member Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) testified before the
House Budget Committee February 14 to outline the need for
additional funding for the upcoming Farm Bill reauthorization.

The Budget Committee plays a key role, because it proposes budget
allocations for each committee that the committees then use in
writing legislation.

The House Agriculture Committee leaders urged the Budget Committee
to increase the funds available for this year's Farm Bill proposals
over the amount provided in the most recent Congressional Budget
Office baseline.

Last week, Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns appeared before the
House Budget Committee to outline the President's budget request for
agriculture. The Administration's Farm Bill proposal released in
late January would increase overall funding for the Farm Bill by
about $4.5 billion over the current baseline for those programs over
the next 5 years, according to an analysis by the Sustainable
Agriculture Coalition. (In simple terms, the budget baseline is an
estimate of how much the programs would spend in future years based
on laws, programs, and obligations currently in place, that is
provided by the Congressional Budget Office. Policy changes are scored against
that baseline budget).

"I appreciate Ranking Member Goodlatte joining me today as we
discussed spending priorities for the 2007 Farm Bill," Chairman
Peterson said. "The Farm Bill is an important set of policies that
provide a safety net for agriculture producers and rural communities
and ensures that all Americans continue to have access to the
safest, most abundant food supply in the world."

In 2006, former Chairman Goodlatte led House Agriculture Committee
members in a series of field hearings held across America to find
out from farmers and ranchers, as well as processors and consumers,
about their views on the 2002 Farm Bill and where it can be improved.

This year's Farm Bill debate will include new proposals that will
require additional resources from the Budget Committee. Congress
will consider proposals to increase spending on renewable energy and
biofuels, and to provide additional support for fruit and vegetable
growers, along with conservation and other programs. With a tight
budget situation, getting an increase in allocation from Budget
Committee will be important to getting a new Farm Bill that boosts
spending on conservation programs.

"The bottom line is that additional resources are needed to produce
a policy that facilitates a strong farm sector and helps our nation
move toward energy independence in a fiscally responsible way,"
Peterson said. "I look forward to working with the Budget Committee
to achieve these goals and I appreciate their willingness to hear
our testimony today."

Duane Hovorka
National Wildlife Federation

PS, thanks to those of you who caught the typo in the story about the
Administration's Farm Bill proposals. The Conservation Reserve Program is
actually currently authorized at 39.2 million acres (not 39.6 million), and the
Administration proposes no change in that cap.