Goodlatte: "most reform-minded farm bill the House has ever considered "

From the office of Rep. Goodlatte:

Today, Ranking Member Goodlatte issued the following statement the House’s overwhelming approval of the farm bill conference report with a vote of 316 to 106:

“I am very pleased that both parties cast a majority of votes in favor of this farm bill. As a result, we don’t just have a 2 to 1 vote on this bill, but we have a 3 to 1 vote on the bill and that is a significant achievement. This bill was crafted in a bipartisan fashion and it was only in working in a bipartisan fashion that we were able to accomplish many of the provisions that are included in the bill.

“This farm bill contains numerous reforms and is the most reform-minded farm bill that the House has considered. We eliminated the often abused three-entity rule that allowed producers, as multiple “entities”, to collect more than one payment. Now, all program payments will be directly attributed to the individual receiving the benefit. This farm bill reduces the current AGI soft-cap of $2.5 million down to a hard-cap of $500,000 for off-farm income which represents an 80 percent reduction. Additionally, we imposed an AGI hard-cap of $750,000 for on-farm income which has been unlimited since the program was created. These reforms, along with numerous others, are part of the historic shift in the evolution of our farm policy.

“When we talk about the farm bill, many believe that the Congress is voting on a $288 billion bill that goes directly to farmers. The truth is that only 17 percent of the farm bill spending is devoted to farm programs while nearly 70 percent goes to the nutrition title alone. In fact, there is very little “farm” in a farm bill anymore. In 2002, farm program funding comprised just ¾ of 1 percent of the federal budget. Today, farm program funding accounts for just ¼ of 1 percent of the federal budget—a two-fold reduction.

“The farm bill programs we have in place provide Americans with safe, affordable food and fiber even as many places in the world are experiencing significant food shortages. This is because we’ve established a food production system that is consistent and produces enough to meet growing demand domestically and abroad. Now, more than ever, the benefits of this system, and the programs necessary to make it work, are evident.”