WASHINGTON – Senator Chuck Grassley today laid out his priorities for money freed in the farm bill thanks to legislation passed in the Senate Finance Committee, of which he is the top Republican.
In his weekly conference call with Iowa agriculture reporters, Grassley urged Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Tom Harkin and Ranking Member Saxby Chambliss to use the dollars that have been freed up to be directed back into conservation programs as well as value added agriculture and the legislation to give fair consideration to many African American farmers who were denied entry in the Pigford settlement case.
“The Finance Committee did its job of looking for more money to help the Farm Bill and came up with more than $3 billion. I’d like to see those dollars directed right back into programs for our state such as conservation and keeping the Value Added Producer Grants fully funded,” Grassley said. “Conservation is a critical piece to our rural economies and protection of our natural resources. In fact, we just created more than $5 billion in conservation related tax credits in the Finance Committee bill. The Value Added Producer Grants have developed new products in our state and created jobs in rural Iowa.”
“In the end, I also would hope the chairman and ranking member direct a portion of this funding to the black farmers who were discriminated against by USDA and haven’t had an opportunity to have their claims heard,” Grassley added. “It’s time to stop expecting somebody else to get it done and help these people.”
The Heartland, Habitat, Harvest, and Horticulture Act of 2007, the agriculture tax package, was passed out of the Finance Committee on October 4.