Issues & Legislation |
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Missouri Farmers and Rural CommunitiesThe most pressing issue facing Missouri farmers and rural communities will be the 2007 Farm Bill. This bill is one of the most comprehensive pieces of legislation the Congress will address this year. Claire believes this legislation should target rural communities, provide healthy foods for school children and assist the country toward energy independence all while providing Missouri farmers with an adequate safety net to protect our farming interests.Keeping a business in the black is tough and no one understands that better than Missouri producers. Recently, Missouri's crop and livestock industries have been hit hard by a litany of national disasters, including: winter ice storms, a spring freeze, floods, and several years of drought. Though many producers are having record years in terms of profit, these types of disasters are devastating to the bottom line. The next farm bill must provide our farming communities the necessary safeguards to ensure viability in times of greatest need. While we need to provide a safety net for Missouri producers, we must do what we can to stop those who greedily take advantage of programs by closing corporate loopholes. The current equations result in an imbalance allowing corporate farms to continue receiving large subsidies while failing to help struggling family farms stay afloat. The new 2007 farm bill must correct this imbalance. Claire also believes the bill must level the field of competition among livestock producers by creating a more open and transparent market among small and medium-sized producers. This includes ensuring full implementation of Country of Origin Labeling by the 2008 deadline and protecting producers from anti-competitive practices. Finally, some of the programs under the U.S. Department of Agriculture, including the Crop Insurance program and the Rural Broadband Loan program have been vulnerable to waste and abuse. Or, they haven't been implemented in the way the 2002 Farm Bill intended. Claire will work to tighten the programs in the 2007 Farm Bill to prevent the misuse of these taxpayer-funded programs. To learn more about or to track the progress of legislation described above, please visit THOMAS.gov
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