Harkin may unveil farm bill plan next week

Senate Ag Committee Chairman Tom Harkin told reporters Tuesday that he may issue his preliminary version of the 2007 farm bill as soon as next week, even though Congress will be in recess. But Harkin also said details of his proposal are still being fleshed out and may not be available before Congress returns.

"I had hoped to have something this week, but you know, these are some tough negotiations going on right now and we're still having some conversations," said Harkin. "I'm still hopeful that maybe by next week - I know we're not in session, but staffs work and we're working and we're always on the phone and that kind of stuff - that we might be able to have something that we could basically roll out for people to look at over the August break before we come back in September, but then again, I'm not going to be held to that," he continued. "If we don't reach some agreements this week then I'm going to keep it in my hip pocket until we come back in September."

Nevertheless, Harkin said his version of the farm bill will include a revenue-based counter-cyclical program styled along the lines of the one put forward by the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA). But Harkin suggested his approach probably wouldn't be a mirror image of NCGA's.

"The more I've looked at it the more I like it," Harkin proclaimed. "Again, how much we can do in this bill I don't know, but I do want to move in that direction."

Harkin also promised tighter farm program payments than approved by the House, which approved a means test for receiving farm program payments of under $1 million dollars in Adjusted Gross Income annually. But Harkin said he couldn't provide specifics on the Senate farm bill's language on payment limits yet.

"I don't know where we're going to come in on that," Harkin said. "But it's going to be tougher than the House."

On one issue, however, Harkin was adamant. He vowed to reverse the House farm bill language suspending Conservation Security Program (CSP) sign-ups until 2012.

"That's totally unacceptable and that won't happen," Harkin promised. "We will continue sign-ups in the CSP program next year and the year after and the year after all the way through 2012."

And according to Harkin, a threatened Presidential veto of the House farm bill can't be about spending more money on farm and food programs than suggested by the baseline established by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). He pointed out that even the Bush administration's farm bill proposal is at least $5 billion over the budget baseline.

"CBO says it's more like $9 billion over baseline," Harkin said. "So if they're over by nine [billion], hey, that's the administration - they didn't say where they're going to get it," he added. "Well, we may be over by nine or 12 [billion], or whatever - we're going to have a debate on what's the right amount of money over baseline, I guess," Harkin concluded.