Posted 5-15-08

Cubin Praises Passage of the Farm Bill

Helps America and Wyoming

(Office of Representative Cubin) -- Representative Cubin offered the following statement after the House of Representatives today passed H.R. 2419, the Food and Energy Security Act of 2007 (a.k.a. Farm Bill) with a veto-proof majority:

“The passage of this bill ensures America will not forget the indispensable resource of our farmers.  Not only does this bill affirm a stable, sound agriculture policy for the U.S., it also includes a number of positive provisions for Wyoming's farmers and ranchers.

During my time in Congress, I have worked long and hard to make sure Wyoming farmers and ranchers are in the best position possible to compete in the global marketplace.  That's why I am so pleased that this Farm Bill contains a new section that deals specifically with livestock issues.   For years I have fought for country-of-origin labeling requirements for beef products.  At long last this provision is included in the Farm Bill, which will give consumers the choice of buying American products at the grocery store.  In addition, the livestock section includes a measure that will allow Wyoming's ranchers to ship their beef across state lines.  Under the current system meat products could only cross state lines if they were first inspected by a federal inspector.  For many years I have sought to change this law because Wyoming does not have a federal inspector.  The bill I supported today allows qualified state-inspection programs to substitute for federal inspection, which gives Wyoming's ranchers more options to market and sell their quality products.  While I didn't get everything I wanted on this final point, the livestock section takes long over-due steps to help protect Wyoming's cattlemen from large meat processing companies' unfair business practices.

Another important measure included in this Farm Bill is a disaster relief fund.  This is the first time this type of provision has been included in a farm bill.  As a result of the new disaster relief fund, Wyoming will no longer have to beg and plead for each penny necessary to recover from our long drought.

Like most things that come from Washington, this bill is far from perfect.  As usual with large bills, we must consider the good and bad consequences.  Without a doubt, the good in this bill outweighs the bad. This bill does many great things for Wyoming and in turn the economy and health of the United States.

Many opponents to this bill complain about its costs.  It is important, however, to point out that this Farm Bill costs $4 billion less than the House-passed farm bill and $5 billion less than the Senate-passed farm bill.  It is historic and unprecedented that a conference report comes back costing less than the bills passed by the House and Senate. 

When considering cost it is important to be reminded of how critical the agricultural sector is to the entire U.S. economy.  In addition to supplying a safe and consistent source of domestic food, agriculture comprises nearly 17% of the GDP, creates 25 million American jobs, and contributes more than $3.5 trillion per year to our economy.  In Wyoming, the value of the agricultural sector exceeds a billion dollars annually, and provides more than 17,000 jobs.  Amazingly, farmers and ranchers do all this in the face of a globally competitive marketplace where foreign governments subsidize their agricultural production in excess of 5 to 6 times what U.S. producers receive in federal support.

The bottom line is that the Farm Bill is not perfect, but it takes the right steps for Wyoming's farmers and ranchers.  For this reason, it is worthy of support.”