2002 Farm Bill’s Disaster Provisions

North Dakota Senator Kent Conrad is known for “championing the Farm Bill.” He even brags about the fact that he was “one of four chief negotiators on the Farm Bill approved by Congress in 2002.” That’s right, folks, when Sen. Kent Conrad talks about farm issues, Congress listens.
Senator Conrad, after months of rhetoric and legislation, finally got some relief for farmers. North Dakota really has been hit by drought this year. The western part of the state is much worse off than the Red River Valley. In fact, the Red River Valley could very well see a record crop in terms of sugar beet production. The farmers did get a bad shake with the weather this year.
If government exists to protect us, and if the federal government’s farm policies are supposed to protect the farmers, then why do politicians insist on using band-aids to heal broken legs? The Bush administration, after months of lobbying, announced that it was going to give farmers that were hit by the drought relief to the tune of $800 million. Naturally, no one was happy with the amount.
Farmers need more help, is what they like to say. Ya know what? Maybe they do. But is kicking and screaming and begging for it the best way to approach the situation? Certainly not. It’s unfortunate that one of the chief negotiators could not solve this problem. Instead of solving the problem, he passed the buck. The USDA has a FAQ page. One of the question in that page is this: Are there any disaster programs in the Farm Bill?
Here is that answer:
The 2002 Farm Bill does not contain any funding for crop disaster programs.
It’s time for North Dakotans to elect effective leaders. Not cheerleaders.