Lateefah Simon: “In many important ways, this farm bill is a good bill for Illinois. While it is not a perfect bill, I'm pleased to see…”

“In many important ways, this farm bill is a good bill for Illinois. While it is not a perfect bill, I'm pleased to see that some of the most meaningful programs were protected. The bill offers farmers limited certainty in the area of income protection and provides a safety net for farmers in future years. In addition, it improves conservation efforts and reauthorizes important nutrition programs, as well as trade and research titles. Illinois is second only to Iowa in soybean production, with 9.7 million acres planted to soybeans. Exports for soybeans and soybean products totaled $7.9 billion in 1995, making soybeans the largest export, in terms of value, in U.S. agriculture. This bill raises the marketing loan rate for soybeans to 85 percent of an Olympic 5-year average, with a ceiling of $5.26 per bushel. Despite a 3-percent annual growth in world demand for vegetable oil and protein meal, U.S. oilseed acreage has declined by 17 percent since 1979. This slight increase in the marketing loan rate creates some incentive for soybean production here at home, which helps our trade balance. The bill also retains permanent law for farm programs. Agriculture policy should protect family farms as well as consumers.”