Byron Dorgan: “The bill that we are now debating is called the freedom to farm bill. It is a bill that provides 7 years of fixed…”

“The bill that we are now debating is called the freedom to farm bill. It is a bill that provides 7 years of fixed payments to farmers. Yet, there is no requirement in this legislation to plant a crop. All you need would to participate is to have some base acres and a bank account. You never need to plant a seed. You never need to harvest a crop. Yet, you would get payments under this proposal. You can have two farmers side by side under this proposal, one of whom plants a crop, harvests a crop, and works all year operating a family farm. That farmer gets a payment under the Freedom to Farm Act. The other farmer across the road does nothing, packs up, moves to Arizona, does not plant a crop, never plows a furrow, and never starts an engine. That farmer gets the same payment. Now, this is a farm bill. This bill is about helping farmers farm, not helping farmers not farm. It is a bill about helping farmers who want to farm. This should not be a bill about creating a payment system to pay people for not farming. My amendment amends the Freedom to Farm Act and says that payments under the Freedom To Farm Act will be made to farmers who plant a program crop, any program crop on their base acres. It provides for total flexibility. It simply says we will not make payments to people who plant nothing. You must plant a program crop on your base acres to be eligible for these payments.”