The Glasscock County, Reagan/Upton/Crockett/Irion County Farm Service Agencies and the Texas Cooperative Extension Service hosted a meeting Sept. 5 in the Community Center attended by some 75 agriculture producers. County Executive Directors John Mark Kinnibrugh and Jim Bob Solsberry discussed portions of the 2002 Farm Bill and answered producers’ questions.
Bill Thompson, an economist with the Extension Service, showed producers how to use the service’s on-line Base and Yield Update Option Analyzer, and gave some of his thoughts and opinions regarding the farm bill.
He said the bill may change dramatically in future years, since the annual sign-up feature means that funding can be cut in any year. He said the EQIP program "has a bull's eye on it,” and that "budget hawks" would try to lower its funds due to EQIP's huge increase in this farm bill. He thinks the CRP program is in good shape.
Thompson said stiff water quality regulations from EPA, especially regarding confined livestock, are coming soon. He also said that payment limit rules are likely to be tightened in the future.
Thompson said the national media usually don't report that commodities are only 18 percent of the 2002 Farm Bill, while 72 percent goes to food programs. He said agriculture accounts for only 1 percent of the federal budget, while 65 percent goes to human resources (Medicare, Social Security, etc.).