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Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation
Agricultural News and Information
Greg Gibson, Coordinator
Public Relations / Multimedia
1-800-227-8244 ext. 4154
or 601-977-4154
email: ggibson@msfb.org
4-21-09
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FARM BUREAU SUPPORTS USDA ACTION ON FEDERAL BASE ACRE DECISION
JACKSON - The recent decision by USDA to reinstate the base acres on all federal lands is a big win for many of Mississippi’s farm families according to the Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation.
“We are extremely pleased by the recent USDA decision to rescind the ruling of December 23, 2008, which terminated base acreage on federal lands,” said Farm Bureau President David Waide. “President Bush’s ruling essentially removed the safety net for many farm families in Mississippi who lease federal land. This latest action was an administrative change, not based on any statutory requirement in the 2008 Farm Bill approved by the Congress. We saw this move by the outgoing Bush Administration as a breach in the contract with America’s farmers.”
The December rule stated that, beginning with the 2009 crop year, producers who leased federal land would no longer be eligible for these safety net payments which had been authorized under the 2008 Farm Bill. It was effective immediately, and left many producers to face their lenders with no safety net coverage for the crop production on that land.
“Without the help and support from Congressman Travis
Childers and Senator Thad Cochran, we feel like this rule would not have
been overturned,” said Waide. “We contacted their offices
immediately when we discovered the impact this ruling had on Mississippi
farmers. Their involvement ultimately led to a very positive outcome on
this unfair decision. We cannot thank them enough for their role in reversing
this decision.”
The provision impacted 34 states, including Mississippi, and represented
more than $5.5 million per year in lost direct payments, as well as an
unknown amount of counter-cyclical payments.
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