Lawmakers May Look at Farm Bill Funding Next Year (w/ audio)

MEMPHIS, Tenn-(NAFB)--Experts say that regardless of who wins the U.S. presidential election in November, the new head of state will inherit a record budget deficit--and a new Congress will want to talk about that deficit. John Maguire, Vice President of Washington Operations for the National Cotton Council, explains:





Maguire adds that the 2008 farm bill received a strong veto override vote--making it unlikely that lawmakers would decide to terminate subsidy payments for ag producers.

History Channel Program "Modern Marvels" to Spotlight Wheat

NEW YORK CITY-(Grainnet)--Soon, the average American will learn about wheat, what farmers have known all along: it’s a big deal. It feeds the world.

And The History Channel will profile wheat on its Modern Marvels television series at 8 p.m. Central Time, Thursday, August 21.

Viewers will learn the worldwide impact of wheat – a story that writer/producer Kaylan Eggert became fascinated with.

“I had a fabulous time and met so many wonderful people,” said Eggert, of her stint in Kansas and Oklahoma in June.

Eggert works for Actuality Productions of Woodland Hills, California. Actuality produces the Modern Marvels series for The History Channel.

The August 21 program is the latest episode to focus on commodities, Eggert said.

Last year, an episode featuring corn was very popular with viewers; this spring, Modern Marvels featured bread.

Wheat was a logical choice for programming, Eggert said, and one that the program’s research team tackled with gusto.

“We have a research department that scours the Internet, newspapers and magazines for information,” she said.

“We looked to different associations, including Kansas Wheat, for information.”

Eggert collaborated with Kansas Wheat nutrition educator Cindy Falk and producer policy specialist Dana Peterson to learn about potential sources for the hour-long program.

The pair gave background information on a number of the program’s key segments. In Kansas, Eggert learned about baking bread, wheat variety research and wheat breeding.

“I went to Wheatfields Bakery in Lawrence, where we learned about various wheat flours.

Head baker Tom Leonard demonstrated ancient methods of bread-making, including adding water to flour ground with a mortar-and-pestle to make flat breads,” Eggert said.

The production crew toured AgriPro’s wheat breeding center near Junction City to learn about the wheat breeding process.

Interviews with Bob Bowden, plant pathologist for the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service in Manhattan, are weaved throughout the show.

The program also features segments with custom harvester Ron Misener of Elk City, Oklahoma, who travels from Texas to North Dakota each year; a visit to Columbia Grain, an export elevator, where grain is processed and loaded onto ships; the ConAgra Mills domestic flour mill and a brewery at which grain is mashed into Hefeweizen, or wheat beer.

The program traces wheat back thousands of years to its Middle Eastern origins and the future of wheat products, including the transformation of wheat into plastic-like utensils.

Eggert and her production crew gathered more than 40 hours of video footage, which was condensed into the one-hour program. Along the way, she learned a great deal about the

“Personally, I never knew there were so many different types of wheat, some of which are made into pastry, others into bread, or pasta. I was amazed at the global importance of wheat and how much we export as a country,” she said.

For the Chicago-born and Los Angeles-educated Eggert, the High Plains of Kansas and Oklahoma were a tremendous eye-opener – one she hopes will resonate with viewers. USDA’s Bowden, whose comments are interspersed throughout the program, believes it will be a hit.

“The way it has been edited and produced, it’s really a heartwarming story. I would definitely recommend it. Anyone who has any interest at all in wheat, whether a producer or associated with the wheat industry, should make plans to watch it,” he said.

Modern Marvels Episode 456, “Wheat,” premieres at 8 p.m. Central Time, Aug. 21 on The History Channel. Check local listings.

23 Farm Policy Facts

Since agricultural policy news has been sort of anticlimactic after the completion of the 2008 U.S. farm bill and the collapse of the World Trade Organization's Doha Round, I thought I'd post a few snippets taken from Farm Policy Facts. Enjoy!

1. Commodity programs in the farm bill cost less than one-quarter of one percent of the federal budget.
2. 97% of U.S. farms are run by families-less than 3% are corporate farms.
3. Commodity programs in the farm bill cost each American about 25 cents out of every $100 dollars paid in taxes.
4. There are more than 2 million farms in America.
5. U.S. farm policy costs Americans just 3 cents per meal or 9 cents a day.
6. Today's farmer provides food and fiber for 144 people- that's up from just 19 people in 1940.
7. For every dollar Americans spend on food, farmers receive 20 cents.
8. Large family farms make up only 8 percent of all U.S. farms, yet they produce 62 % of all crops produced in this country.
9. Nearly 70% of the farm bill funding is allocated to nutrition programs, providing food for those most in need - children, low-income families, and the elderly.
10. The farm bill allocates more than $1.25 billion to the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) - a program that provides commodities and other resources to states to help stock food banks.
11. Agriculture employs 20% of the U.S. workforce, or about 21 million people.--2002 USDA Ag Census
12. Agriculture accounts for roughly 20% of the nations GDP, contributing $3.5 trillion a year to the U.S. economy.—2002 USDA Ag Census
13. Agricultural land provides habitat for 75% of the nation's wildlife.
14. About 40% of the country is farmland-that's an area the size of nine Californias.
15. The farm bill dedicates $6.5 billion to conservation programs.
16. More than 1,000 farm, nutrition, and conservation organizations have voiced support for the new farm bill.
17. 7%, or roughly $54 billion over ten years, of the new farm bill funds environmental conservation.
18. The total farm safety net was cut by $3.5 billion in the new farm bill.
19. Compared to other major agricultural producers around the globe, the U.S. ranks near the bottom of the subsidization and tariff scale.
20. The majority of U.S. farms, more than 60%, are retirement or lifestyle farms whose occupants earn their income off-the-farm rather than off the land.
21. Agriculture is America's number one export.
22. Funding in the farm bill was increased by $1.02 billion to aid the USDA Snack Program, which helps provide healthy snacks to students from low-income families during after-school activities, and expands to all 50 states.
23. The Bureau of Engraving and Printing depends on farmers to produce paper currency-75% of every bill is made of cotton.