Senator Sherrod Brown

Washington, DC –United States Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) delivered the following floor speech Wednesday evening on the 2007 Farm Bill, which was voted out of committee today.

“Mr. President, I appreciate seeing the senator from Pennsylvania in the chair. We were in the agriculture committee today, and I want to thank him for his leadership for dairy farmers and for nutrition. The 2007 farm bill is a chance for congress to make historic strides in agriculture, in alternative energy, and to literally help improve the lives of millions of families across the country, families that are struggling from Harrisburg to Erie, to Lima and to Toledo. In a state like Ohio with a long and rich agriculture history, this bill means a bright future for agriculture for family farmers and for all families. I applaud the leadership of Senator Harkin. I’m proud as Ohio’s first senator to sit on the agriculture committee in four decades to be part of this process.

“This bill could mean that low-income families will have better access, more access to better nutrition by increasing food stamp programs and access to affordable, healthy foods. That means more fruits and vegetables into the schools in Hamilton and Middletown and Akron. It means more fruits and vegetables grown by local farmers to go into farmer’s markets in Columbus and in Zanesville and all over our state.

“Earlier this year Mr. President, I and others were gathered in the committee; we heard from Rhonda Stewart of Hamilton, Ohio, perhaps in her early 30's, with I believe a 9-year-old son. A single mother, struggling, working full-time, probably I’m guessing making $8, $9, $10 an hour, working hard, played by the rules but every month she struggled.

“At the beginning of the month she told the committee back in February that she would serve her son pork chops once or twice that first week. That was his favorite meal. By the middle of the month she might take him to McDonald’s or a fast-food restaurant once or twice but almost invariably by the end of the month as times got tough and she struggled financially, she would almost invariably at end of the month sit at the dinner table or the kitchen table with her son, he would be eating, she wouldn't. "What's wrong, Mom?" "Aren't you hungry?" "No. I don't feel well."

“The simple reason: she was out of money. We are helping people that work hard, that play by the rules, that do everything we ask them to do in the workplace and in their homes and as a citizen of our community and country.

“This bill can be a new direction for farmers in Ohio. The 2007 farm bill reflects the values of farmers across Ohio: forward-thinking, responsible, working to protect our natural resources and our rural communities. This bill will help family farmers in my state and in Pennsylvania and across the country by strengthening the farm safety net, one that will provide better protection for farmers against disasters, either low-yield or low prices. And either one can be obviously devastating to farmers.

“In the average crop revenue program which senator Durbin and I introduced. Now it’s part of the farm bill, mended into the farm bill by Chairman Harkin. The average crop revenue program offers a much-needed choice to farmers. It represents significant reform for farmers in huge savings, literally $3.5 billion for taxpayers.

“Farmers can stay in the current program, the old program that really does little to protect against drops in revenue or for the first time ever, farmers will have a choice, be able to switch to a forward-looking policy that better protects against volatile crop prices, against natural disasters and rising crop prices. So if farmers are doing well, if prices are good, yield is well, farmers won't get tax dollars generally. But if times are bad, they either yield for some reason, floods or tornadoes or whatever causes major crop yield drops or if the price is low, then the farmer will get help. And that's the way that agriculture should be. And that's the way, frankly, most farmers that I find in northwest Ohio and all over my state want to do too.

“This spring, I traveled throughout Ohio; I conducted town meetings in Chillicothe, talked to fruit and vegetable and specialty crop farmers in Montgomery County, not too far from Troy and Piqua near Dayton to talk to talk to farmers there. And near Wooster, Ohio, to talk to dairy farmers and Wayne County to talk to farmers that do landscaping and greenhouses and that kind of thing. And then in northwest Ohio to talk to farmers who grow corn and soybeans. I met with a corn farmer in Henry County who will be supplying corn to the first ethanol plant in Ohio. I met with a hog farmer from Montgomery County who uses wind turbines to provide on-farm energy.

“This farm bill makes a commitment to move beyond antiquated energy sources and wean ourselves from Middle Eastern oil and prepare American agriculture to lead the world in renewable energy production. With the right resources, the right incentives, farmers can help decrease our dependence on foreign oil and produce cleaner, sustainable renewable energy. In a state like Ohio, with a talented labor force and a proud lead-the-nation manufacturing history, that just doesn't mean stronger farms and more prosperous farmers. It means a stronger economy.

“Rural communities across the nation will benefit from additional federal assistance in this farm bill in small towns, places not far from where I grew up in Lexington, Ohio, and places like Bellville. Small towns will benefit from funding for infrastructure and hospitals while expanding access to broadband for all of my state, especially southeast Ohio, which does not nearly have the access to broadband that it needs. This bill will provide more than $4 billion in additional funding for conservation programs to help farmers protect our water quality, and preserve endangered farmland.

“While I’m pleased with the bill overall, it can be improved. The public's perfectly willing to help family farmers where they need it but taxpayers won't support massive payments to farms that have substantial net incomes. We shouldn't be sending tax dollars to Florida real estate developers, to city farmers that live in New York, to NBA players, to media personalities. Those aren't the people that should benefit from the farm bill.

“I regret we have not funded the McGovern-Dole international feeding program. I hope as this legislation progresses that we will do so. Agriculture in Ohio is expected. It has experienced unprecedented changes in recent years but the values of Ohio farmers -- hard work, stewardship of the land, caring for their families -- the values of Ohio’s farmers have remained steadfast. We, too, must be steadfast in our support for farmers. We must change how we go about providing that support. I applaud the proposal put forth in the agriculture committee today. I hope we can even improve upon it in the weeks ahead.”