PERSPECTIVE OKLAHOMA FARM BUREAU
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July 13, 2012
Congress passes transportation bill Oklahoma Farm Bureau President Mike Spradling praised Oklahoma’s congressional delegation for their diligent efforts in passing the federal transportation bill June 29. “Oklahoma farmers and ranchers owe a huge debt of gratitude to their elected representatives in the nation’s capitol for supporting the highway bill,” Spradling said. The farm leader singled out U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe and Rep. James Lankford for their work on the federal legislation. They were members of the conference committee to reconcile differences between the House and Senate measures. Last year, Lankford authored H.R. 2414, the Farmers’ Freedom Act, which allows farm trucks a limited commercial exemption from federal regulations when they travel within 150 air-miles of their farm. The language was strongly supported by Inhofe and Rep. Dan Boren, who has been working on the legislation for the past several congressional sessions.
“They have worked tirelessly the past two years to pass language exempting farm trucks from burdensome commercial vehicle regulations,” Spradling said. “This legislation allows our members to efficiently transport and market their commodities. It is especially critical for farmers and ranchers living near state borders who often need to transport commodities to markets across the state line.” (Continued on page 3)
In This Issue • Transportation bill approved • Farm bill moves forward • New north central field rep • Watch for rabies in Livestock • Choice hotels number changes • OFB award deadline nearing • Pollinator habitats in CRP-SIP
The transportation bill exempts operators of certain farm vehicles from requirements such as medical certificates, hours of service, inspection requirements and more. See page three for more details on the bill’s agriculture provisions.
Farm bill: Senate bill draws questions from OFB leaders, house spells their bill FARRM As Congress barrels toward August recess, farm bill action is heating up. The U.S. Senate passed their version of the farm bill in June, while the House announced their version of the farm legislation in early July. Scott Neufeld, Chairman of OFB’s Farm Bill Committee, said the U.S. Senate’s version of the farm bill leaves farmers vulnerable to steep price declines.
House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas of Oklahoma and Ranking Member Collin Peterson of Minnesota released a discussion draft of the House’s Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act July 5. The committee said FARRM is a bipartisan bill that saves taxpayers billions, reduces the nation’s deficit, and repeals outdated policies while reforming, streamlining, and consolidating others. “This draft offers a strong safety net for farm income using a combination of crop insurance and price protection,” said OFB Farm Bill Committee
Chairman Scott Neufeld of Fairview. “We strongly support Cong. Lucas in his efforts as Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee to pass a farm bill that would be equitable for all regions of the country.” However, the Senate’s bill, which was approved June 21, has raised eyebrows among OFB leaders. The main concern, said Neufeld, is the lack of price protection in years when commodity prices are low. “We’re disappointed that most of the risk management tools included in the Senate bill are revenue based with very little focus on the price components of actual marketing,” Neufeld said. “There is no mechanism to manage risk when steep price declines happen, and they will happen, and when they may last for several marketing years.” (Continued on page 2)