Moran Stands Up For Kansas Agricultural Producers

Statement

Farm Safety Net is Important Part of 2012 Farm Bill

Congressman Jerry Moran issued the following statement in response to recent remarks by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack, to the National Association of Farm Broadcasting.

"Kansas agricultural producers have made agriculture a way of life and it is critical that they have a Secretary of Agriculture who understands their unique challenges and advocates on their behalf. They need someone who recognizes the importance of a strong farm safety net, not a Secretary who finds questions about the farm safety net "irritating.'

Recent comments from the Secretary that off-farm income is "more critical than the safety net' are not helpful to those of us on the Agriculture Committee charged with writing the next farm bill. To suggest that a farm bill should focus more on part-time farmers with a job in the city and 100 acres in the country, rather than full-time farmers, is an example of how out-of-touch this Administration is with actual producers. We cannot overlook the agricultural producers who make the business of farming and ranching their livelihood. Rural communities are built around these individuals and they are the ones that keep us fed and clothed.

I would also remind the Secretary that the safety net is not the only part of the farm bill. The commodity title of the farm bill represents less than 7 percent of total farm bill spending, while nutrition programs represent nearly 75 percent. For the Secretary to suggest that the current farm bill is only for the "2.2 million people who farm' and the safety net "is the only thing we talk about' is a gross distortion of the facts. We would all benefit from a conversation about how best to support the future of production agriculture and a Secretary of Agriculture who is willing to lead that discussion."

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