Congressman Jerry Moran, who represents Kansas’ Big First District, told cattle producers this morning why he voted against the current Farm Bill.
“In 2000 Farm Bill that I participated in, 24 percent of the Farm Bill was the commodity title directly related to agriculture,” he said. “In the new Farm Bill that we’re now beginning to operate under, only 12 1/2 percent of the Farm Bill is related to the commodity title or production-related agriculture ...”
Seventy-four percent of spending in the current farm bill is related to nutrition and food stamps and not related to the production of agriculture, Moran said.
When talking about the Acre Program, Moran said he voted against the Farm Bill, which no longer has the word “farm” in its title.
“In my opinion we were headed in the wrong direction,” he said. “In addition to that, the things that farmers told me that the most important things to protect were two things — direct payments and crop insurance. This is a Farm Bill that reduces both. $6 billion dollars came out of crop insurance and we are phasing down direct payments. We are increasing other things at that expense.”
Moran, who spoke to a full house of producers during the Flint Hills Beef Fest Producer Seminar, is a senior member of the House Agriculture Committee.
During this morning address, Moran said one of the reasons he got involved in politics to preserve the rural Kansas way of life.
“One of the things that I was certain of if we are going to have success in rural Kansas we are going to have to have success in agriculture, and while I would never diminish the role of wheat or any other commodity, Kansas really is a livestock state and whatever happens with livestock affects our economy and affects the pocketbooks of hundreds and thousands of Kansans across the state,” Moran said.
The United States has a new secretary of agriculture. Moran said he’s been unsuccessful in getting the secretary to come to Kansas.
“I think there is a belief in this in Washington, D.C. that if you’re a governor of an agricultural state, Iowa, that you know something about agriculture,” Moran said. “And I think our secretary of agriculture might know something about ethanol and maybe biotech but I think most everything else he will learn on the job.”
Moran said the new secretary of agriculture has a disconnect from production agriculture.
“When the secretary said we’re going to present issues to the American people and let them decide whether they are for wealthy farmers or hungry people it seemed to me there’s a real disconnect,” he said. “I never expected the secretary of agriculture to try to put those two things one against the other.”
Moran also talked about increasing regulations on farmers and ranchers. Regulations are making it increasingly difficult for farmers and ranchers to operate, he said.
“The concern that is out there that is so great for rural America is the ever-increasing regulatory environment you as producers are finding yourself in,” he said. “Currently the trend is toward more regulation of agriculture as if somebody in Washington knows better on how to produce than farmers and ranchers of America.”
One regulation that was passed by the House of Representatives two weeks ago brings FDA to farms to ensure food safety, Moran said.
“The idea that was have the Food and Drug Administration inspector on your farm is a new one to us,” he said, adding that livestock was exempt from that bill. “It’s the start toward another agency having authority of production agriculture.”
Moran received applause when he talked about the effects of Cap and Trade, a climate control policy. Moran said Cap and Trade increases the cost of energy and hits rural residents in their pocket books.
“To add more to the energy sector and the input costs is very damaging to the bottom line,” he said. “For us who live in rural America and particularly for us who use electrical cooperatives where coal generates our power we will be transporting our wealth and our income to places on the coast who have more nuclear power. ... Just a broad attack on rural America.”
Following his speech, Moran took questions. The audience had several questions for Moran.
One audience member had a question related to how Moran felt about the bailouts and stimulus packages.
“I am one of only 17 members of the House of Representatives who has voted against every bailout and every stimulus package,” he said. “I think we’re spending money that we clearly don’t have. The spending is bad but even worse than that is the borrowing.”
Moran said the stimulus and bailouts will cause inflation, declining value of the American dollar and higher interest rates.
“I just think that Washington, D.C. is acting immorally,” he said. “It is wrong to ask the next generation to pick up the tab for what we are doing today.”
Another audience member expressed concern over the potential ban of animal antibiotics. Moran said that politicians should rely on a veterinarians’ opinion of the issue not the politicians’ opinion.
“We were successful in keeping that out,” Moran said. “We are working together to prevent this kind of what we think is a crazy idea again promoted by a very narrow set of interests to prohibit animal antibiotics ...”
The last question, Moran said, was the hardest question to answer. The question centered around health care and how Moran feels about the health care package that is being presented to address health care concerns.
Moran said he is reviewing a 1,017-page bill relating to health care reform.
“It’s quite an undertaking,” he said. “It’s a stack of 10-12 inches of paper and while I will read the words they will be very difficult to understand what they mean and secondly, worse than that, what are the consequences down the road?”
Moran said he is opposed to the plan that is being presented to Washington today.
“One of the things we have to make certain is not forgotten is the rural aspect of health care,” he said.
Moran said there are two ways proposed to pay for the health care reform — raise taxes to those who are considered wealthy and finding savings in Medicare. Moran said finding savings in Medicare poses several problems including the shut down or rural medical services because there is less money available to pay for those services.
“There are hospitals hanging by a thread,” he said. “...If we take money out of Medicare ... Medicare savings will mean less health care providers in rural Kansas.”
In 2017, it is estimated will be paying out more money that it takes in. Over the next 75 years and Medicare trust fund is $38 trillion short in paying its bills, Moran said.
“Only in Washington can you say, ‘oh, lets take money out of Medicare and pay for other things’” he said. “It just makes no sense.”
create (anonymous) says...
“The idea that was have the Food and Drug Administration inspector on your farm is a new one to us,” he said, adding that livestock was exempt from that bill. “It’s the start toward another agency having authority of production agriculture.”
So what if another agency gets involved. It is apparent that somebody has to mind the store. Remember the spinach nightmare?
While it's true that farmers in Kansas aren't involved with fresh food production like spinach and tomatoes, what about those that are? Consumers certainly need some kind of protection at the farm level to prevent such things as e-coli contamination from livestock runoff. How many times in the last several years have we had scares involving spinach and tomatoes and green onions, for example? This means millions upon millions of dollars in losses to the farmer of those products, not to mention the serious illnesses and deaths caused to consumers.
It seems to me that Moran is viewing this through only one lens. I don't care for his one-way thinking. Sure, he represents a beef and grain-producing state, but he is also a congress person for the entire country. Agriculture needs measures to prevent those kinds of dangerous outbreaks like e-coli contamination, especially when farm to table time is so brief.
BTW, there's a new medical practice going in at Neosho Rapids to serve that area. Is that not rural? I wonder what's going on there?
August 15, 2009 at 6:24 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
What's wrong with finding savings in Medicare? One area is in the sharing of information from test/procedure results. Why does one doctor order all kinds of x-rays and tests then send you to a specialist who also orders all kinds of x-rays and tests. Medicare is billed for duplication of services. I see no reason why this information can't be shared among medical practices, particularly when you start multiplying this by the millions of dollars in duplication services.
Runaway billing is just one area. I'm sure there are hundreds of others. It just takes someone like Moran to do some serious thinking about this for awhile, and to talk to people about ideas that would promote savings to the taxpayer instead of running home to play politics.
August 15, 2009 at 6:44 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )