Ag Commissioner Speaks on Farm Bill Disappointments - KXNet - Bismarck/Minot/Williston/Dickinson

Depsite a 2012 Farm Bill on the House Floor, no agreements could be made before the end of the year.

New Years Eve Congress extended the 2008 farm bill.

Ag Reporter Sarah Gustin visits with our ag commissioner about what he calls a disappointing decision and his worries for producers in the year ahead.

After a year of debating and passing versions of the farm bill Congress doesn't make a move.

(Doug Goehring / ND Ag Commissioner) "I have a lot of concerns. I believe this is irresponsible, we needed to deal with a 5 year farm bill. having an extension passed puts us in a very bad position. It means we are going to be subjected to deeper cuts down the road." 

North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring calls Congress' decision a huge disappointment.

(Doug Goehring / ND Ag Commissioner) "There were provisions that were taken out before they did the extension that would have provided about 664 million dollars to livestock and fruit and vegetable industry that weren't covered under insurance program. We went through some bad times for U.S. farmers and ranchers, to just let some things pass and slip away, that was unfortunate and irresponsible."

Goehring says leaving our farmers without a safety net was irresponsible, especially with much of the Midwest being abnormally dry.

(Doug Goehring / ND Ag Commissioner) "I believe drought conditions is weighing on everybody's mind. Along with that you need to have some risk management tools in place to help." 

He says the recent price scare of milk reaching 6-8 dollars a gallon, made consumers realize the farm bill is also a food bill. 

(Doug Goehring / ND Ag Commissioner) "The public started to realize that federal farm policy is not put in place to subsidize farmers, it's subsidizes food and what it has meant over the last decades, almost 8 decades running now has meant abundant, affordable and safe and nutritious food."

Goehring says he's is concerned that the chairman of the Senate Ag committee is now Thad Cochran, (Cock-ran) a senator from Mississippi.

He's worried it will be difficult to develop a farm bill that will provide good protection for both northern and southern farmers.