Tom Harkin: “the bill before the Senate now is the committee-reported farm bill, a 5-year farm bill. It is a comprehensive bill…”

“the bill before the Senate now is the committee-reported farm bill, a 5-year farm bill. It is a comprehensive bill providing major improvements to the farm commodity and income protection programs, conservation, rural economic development, trade, research, nutrition assistance, renewable energy, credit, and forestry. The legislation is within our budget limitations for the new farm bill. We were allowed $7.35 billion for fiscal year 2002, and $73.5 billion for 10 years above baseline spending. The bill is fully within those limitations. I hope we can move forward and work our way through this bill. We are, of course, ready to consider amendments tomorrow and debate the issues and pass the bill, go to conference, and send it to the President. The sooner we can get the amendments debated here and voted on, the sooner we can get to conference. There is a need to move ahead with this bill now. Farmers around the country need to know what the farm program will be for next year so they can make decisions, arrange their financing, their loans, line up their input and supplies for next year. It is important for farmers to get this legislation passed. It is important for all of America to get this bill passed because, as has often been said, it all really does start on the farm.”