Cord Byrd: “since Congress passed the 1996 farm bill, farmers throughout America have been pointing out the holes in the farm safety…”

“since Congress passed the 1996 farm bill, farmers throughout America have been pointing out the holes in the farm safety net that was intended to help family farmers and prevent the demise of America's agriculture industry. The new farm bill, The Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002, authorizes a wide variety of U.S. Department of Agriculture programs and strengthens the safety net for America's farmers, ranchers, and rural communities. This farm bill, not unlike other authorizing bills that have moved through the Congress in recent years, approves, in one broad stroke, huge amounts of spending on the mandatory side of the budget. Without adequate controls and without the political will to make tough decisions, mandatory spending has been annually eating up greater portions of the nation's budgetary resources. That is not to say that there are not a number of worthwhile, and necessary, provisions in this bill. Certainly we do not wish to see our agricultural industry go the way of others that have drifted overseas, where costs are lower and health and safety precautions are weak or nonexistent. Moreover, at a time when we are becoming more attuned to the real threats of bioterrorism and agroterrorism, our farming industry and the need to preserve it can be seen in a new and different light. But Senators need to be more aware of the fact that voting for authorizing legislation is not just supporting policy.…”