U.S. Water News Online
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- Congress passed almost $3 billion in drought aid this month, but some in Farm Country are concerned about the way it's being funded.
Money for the relief comes from trimming funds for the Conservation Security Program from $9 billion to $6 billion. The new program, part of the 2002 Farm Bill, pays farmers for using environmentally friendly practices on working crop and range land.
Dennis Wiese, president of the South Dakota Farmers Union, said it's unfair that the drought aid is coming at the expense of another farm program.
"It sets a terrible precedent,'' said Wiese. "By taking money out of this fund, we have reopened the Farm Bill. That's never happened.
"Even though farmers and ranchers will receive assistance for weather-related disasters incurred in 2003 or 2004 crop years, the fact remains that the assistance is taken at the expense of another farm program, and that is unfair.''
Mike Held of the South Dakota Farm Bureau said the move means it will be easier to reopen the Farm Bill.
"We think overall it is working well,'' Held said. "This also indicates it will be easier to reopen the Farm Bill at some time in the future.''
All three members of South Dakota's congressional delegation voted for the disaster-relief bill.
Sen. Tim Johnson, D-S.D., said disaster relief should not come at the expense of other farm programs.
After the Farm Bill was negotiated in good faith and signed by President Bush, the administration began picking off "project after project &emdash; first COOL (country-of-origin labeling for meat products) and now the conservation programs. This is beginning to be a pattern,'' Johnson said.
Herseth and her Republican challenger, former state Sen. Larry Diedrich, both say they dislike offsetting farm disaster relief from the CSP baseline.
Herseth co-sponsored a failed House amendment that would have passed disaster relief as new spending.
She said tapping the program might mean hard times for parts of the Farm Bill that House Republicans don't want to see continued in the next Farm Bill in 2007. "They are indicating those programs are on the chopping block in 2007. They are laying the groundwork now.''
Using conservation money might disrupt cooperation that's necessary to pass future farm legislation, said Diedrich, former president of the American Soybean Association.
"When you deal with farm bills, you try to build coalitions. We deal with environmental groups. We deal with wildlife and sportsmen's groups. It's a very delicate coalition we build, and I don't think we ever want to be in a situation where we pit one against the other. We all lose at that point,'' Diedrich said.
The Conservation Security Program has gotten off to a slow start. No South Dakota land qualified this year.
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