We received this statement from Representative Walz's office about tomorrow's Farm Bill vote:
"The farm bill is going to come up for a vote on Thursday in the House of Representatives and I am working very hard to convince my colleagues that this is an important piece of legislation not just for southern Minnesota, but for the entire country. This farm bill maintains the farm safety net that is so important to rural America, but it also takes significant steps to reform our commodity programs and eliminate farm payments to millionaires.
"This farm bill makes large new increases in conservation spending, renewable energy research, rural development programs and nutrition programs. This farm bill is not perfect, but it is a farm bill that will work for rural America and that we can be proud of.
"I have put a lot of work into this with Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson from Minnesota and I am working hard to convince my colleagues in the House to support it."
In Minnesota, the Minnesota Farmers Union and the Farm Bureau mostly approve of the draft.
We agree that it's not perfect. We would have liked to have seen more lower payment caps and other things. However, we are beginning to think that Ron Kind is the Joe Lieberman of farm policy, given his allies on the ideological right and in the corporate world.
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