National Council of Farmer Cooperatives
Representing the Business Interests of Agriculture

Washington, DC--The National Council of Farmer Cooperatives (NCFC) today praised House passage of H.R. 2419, the 2007 Farm Bill, which provides a safety net for production agriculture, increases funding for research and promotion of fruits and vegetables, strengthens export promotion, and meets important national priorities when it comes to conservation, nutrition, rural development, renewable energy and agricultural research.

The bill was approved by a vote of 231 to 191 on Friday. Final action came after the House overwhelmingly rejected an alternative farm bill proposal by Rep. Kind (D-Wisc.) by a 117 to 309 vote; Rep. Kind’s proposal would have eliminated many of the basic safety net features of current farm programs. NCFC and a broad coalition of agricultural interests strongly opposed the Kind amendment.

“House passage of the Farm Bill was extremely important to farmers and their cooperatives,” emphasized Jean-Mari Peltier, NCFC President and CEO. “Steering this bill through Committee and to final passage was no easy task, and Ag Committee Chairman Collin Peterson deserves special praise for his leadership and hard work.”
“The farm bill, as passed by the House, builds on the success of the 2002 Farm Bill to enhance the competitiveness of all U.S. agriculture and to ensure consumer access to a safe, affordable, abundant, and high-quality supply of food, fiber, and energy” said NCFC President Jean-Mari Peltier.

While highlighting a number of provisions in the House bill championed by farmers and their cooperatives, the NCFC President expressed disappointment that an amendment, offered by Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) and approved by a voice vote, removed provisions from the bill to give the cooperatively-owned Farm Credit System more flexibility to better meet the credit needs of agriculture and rural America. “This remains an important issue,” she added, “and one that Congress should continue to focus on as it considers this legislation.”

“We will continue to work closely with the House Agriculture Committee, and we look forward to working with the leadership and members of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry as it begins crafting its farm bill proposals,” Peltier concluded.

NCFC is a national association representing America’s farmer cooperatives. There are nearly 3,000 farmer cooperatives across the U.S. whose members include a majority of our nation’s more than 2 million farmers, ranchers and growers. These farmer cooperative businesses handle, process, and market agricultural commodities and related products; furnish farm supplies; and provide credit and associated financial services. Earnings from these activities are returned to their members on a patronage basis. Farmer cooperatives also provide jobs for nearly 250,000 Americans, many in rural areas, with a combined payroll of over $8 billion.