Ag Policy Blog

Peterson Laments Cantor's Role in Farm Bill

Chris Clayton
By  Chris Clayton , DTN Ag Policy Editor
Connect with Chris:
@ChrisClaytonDTN

I'm stuck at Chicago O'Hare this morning, but isn't everybody?

On that point, I haven't had adequate time to write up a report from a panel of farmers at the Ag Media Summit in Buffalo on Tuesday who talked about pressures of urban sprawl. Still, it had a couple of great quotes.

One New York dairy farmer was talking about state and federal CAFO and water regulations and said, "My cows can't take a crap without it being reported."

Once again, farmers provide some of the best quotes. 

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On the Farm Bill

Collin Peterson, ranking member of the House Agriculture Committee, was at FarmFest in Minnesota on Tuesday with fellow Democratic Rep. Tim Walz talking about the potential outcome of the farm bill. According to multiple reports, Peterson basically said he doesn't know what's going to happen. House Republicans will push their plan to cut $40 billion from the nutrition programs but likely won't accept whatever compromise comes from the House.

Peterson pointed to House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., as the major player throwing up roadblocks.

"I don't get along with that guy and I don't know what to do about him," Peterson said in the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

The article also quoted Dale Moore, policy director of the American Farm Bureau, who said, "This truly is one of the strangest farm bill processes I've ever seen." http://dld.bz/…

Speaking at a town-hall forum in Fremont, Neb., GOP Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, a former ag committee member now on the Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee, lamented the problems with farm bill, saying "it is poorly understood in Washington."

Fortenberry still backed the House version of the bill, noting that an extension would be a mistake and the House bill has more reforms and savings than the Senate version. http://dld.bz/…

I can be found on Twitter @ChrisClaytonDTN

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Comments

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Cypt Frms
8/12/2013 | 11:16 AM CDT
Bill Bills on, I do not think you farm. One thing is most farmers don't talk about wealth. The next is insurance is for protection of large weather and market shifts and the third thing is, you stay post to many comments. I'm sure you used the name splined and you are an EWG guru. But I'm sure most people only laugh at your post because hard working farmers no not to pay any attention to you.
John Olson
8/11/2013 | 2:50 PM CDT
Your memory Don needs refreshing. See http://www.downsizinggovernment.org/agriculture/subsidies
Don Thompson
8/9/2013 | 7:51 AM CDT
My memory is that when corn was $2 and before the government RFS kicked in, a majority of you now "rich" farmers were in full pitched whine about needing government help, although I am sure they never used that word exactly. Hang on, the bad times are coming again and you will be back with the "47%". Everything will be OK again in your world.
W Lee Deutsche
8/8/2013 | 5:44 PM CDT
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Bill Billson
8/8/2013 | 3:56 PM CDT
Since you are so smart Davis, whyshould the taxpayers pay for a farm subsidy bill when there is not enough support to pass it on its own? To tie it with SNAP to funnel more money to the rich is sad. My wife and I have maxed out DCP several years in a row in years when our eaned net worth has increased by over a million each year. This is just embarrassing. We farmers need to do the right thing and back away from the government tit. If the farm and SNAP bills cannot stand on their own they should not pass and it is the real testament to their need. The poor do need some support with tighter needs tests but why should the rich like me be subsidized and guaranteed extreme income via crop insurance???
T JAMES DAVIS
8/8/2013 | 3:15 PM CDT
Messrs. Olson and Billson must still be farming with a pair of mules and a foot burner plow. Maybe you guys are the most successful farmers in your neighborhood. Probably not. You seem to blame the success of other neighbor farmers on corruption and handouts and whatever else. My guess is that at least some of your neighbors are hard working and intelligent businessmen and women. I would hazard a guess that your neighbors find you lacking in one or both of those attributes. Accusing a member of Congress with accepting kickbacks is a very serious charge. Excuse me if I think you are full of BS. SNAP is the primary reason that any Farm Bill ever gets enough urban Congress Member votes to pass. That is farm policy 101. Duh! Is that the best policy for policy sake? That is certainly subject to legitimate debate. However, an informed debate needs informed opinions and you fellows have homework to do.
Bill Billson
8/8/2013 | 2:08 PM CDT
Mr. Davis either you are terribly misinformed or you are are on the receiving end of Peterson's wasteful spending. Colin is the most corrupt polititian in DC. Have you ever spent any time in his district? Take a day and peruse the parking lots of the Hallock, Crookston, or Moorhead crop insurance or FSA offices.....nothing but 60K pickups and Escalades bought with Petersons handouts. Then ask the common folks in those places how they are doing and they cant find a decent job yet are paying for the rich man's escalades and fishing cabins. Peterson's kickbacks from American Crystal are legendary and his sugar program is the most wasteful in the goverment, too bad guys like Chris wont write about that waste or SNaP. Welcome to reality Davis
T JAMES DAVIS
8/8/2013 | 11:05 AM CDT
Sorry, repulsive, despicable? That best describes Olson's uniformed opinion. It is patently obvious to any of us that have ever worked on farm policy development at the federal level in Congressional interactions that Olson has never done any heavy lifting on Farm Bill development. How many Congressional Ag Committee hearings, Congressional member visits, listening sessions, policy workshops, farm/commodity group debates developing the policy position of an affected interest group has Olson contributed to or participated in? There are already plenty of uninformed members of the public. Attacking Colin Peterson contributes nothing to farm policy development. Get off your dead butt and get in the game if you really want to contribute or learn how the sausage making process works. Historically, the House Ag Committee is one of the least partisan affected committees on Capitol Hill. Of course there are partisan participants but there are personalities, parochialism and policy differences of members that must be reconciled by any Ag Committee Chairman. Ready, fire, aim....Olson.
John Olson
8/8/2013 | 6:56 AM CDT
There are many farmers and taxpayers who are repulsed by Peterson's sorry history with farm bill debacles. His sordid history of targeting the largest cash benefits and largest income guarantees to the largest farmers as well as targeting growers of select crops with the largest financial benefits is truly despicable.