Editorial

Honeymoon short for Mike Johanns

Monday, February 7, 2005

Mike Johanns' didn't get a very long honeymoon after being named the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. This morning -- just days after Johanns' appointment was approved -- the administration announced it would be making severe cuts in farm and commodity programs.

According to a report by the New York Times -- which was featured on the front page of today's Omaha World-Herald -- "more than 100 farm groups are gearing up to fight the White House proposal" to put limits on subsidy payments to farmers.

The Bush Administration's plan would set a firm overall limit of $250,000 on farm subsidies that now can exceed $1 million to some producers. Currently, the limit is $360,000, and farm producers can enlarge their payments by claiming additional payments through multiple entities, such as different members of the same family.

All together, the proposed changes in farm subsidies would cut federal payments by $587 million, or about 5 percent, in the coming year. Over the next decade, that would mean a reduction of more than $5.7 billion in farm payments.

It will be interesting to see what Johanns' position will be on this controversial move by the Bush Administration to reduce subsidies.

For sure, there are two distinct points on view. On one hand -- with the federal deficit mounting -- there is a great need for the federal government to get expenses under control, and lawmakers from urban areas have long questioned the massive payments to farmers.

On the other hand, as those of us in rural areas know so well, many farmers are hanging on by a thread. There is a delicate balance between costs and income, and the loss of payments could put some farmers out of business.

Changes may be in order, but rural America needs to keep a close watch to make certain that traditional agriculture is not adversely affected by the reduction in subsidies. The Bush Administration and Secretary Johanns should be allowed to lay their cards on the table ... to show farmers what they are proposing and why.

Then, farmers need to assert themselves, making a clear plea through elected leaders. In the case of Southwest Nebraska, messages of concern should be dispatched to U.S. Rep. Tom Osborne and U.S. Senators Ben Nelson and Chuck Hagel.

It also wouldn't hurt to go directly to Secretary Johanns. In his years as Nebraska's governor, he learned first-hand why it's so important to protect the interests of America's food producers.

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