Congress Farmers Glance

The Associated Press
Oct. 5, 2001

Highlights of the farm bill approved by the House on Friday:

–Fixed payments totaling $5 billion annually for 10 years to all grain, cotton and soybean farmers based on historical production. Farmers are allowed to update the production records on which the payments are based.

–Additional subsidies for the same farmers based on fluctuations in market prices for commodities. Farmers would be eligible for two separate payments on each crop.

–A new subsidy for peanuts is created, replacing an existing quota program, and payments are restored for honey, wool and mohair. Price supports for sugar and milk are continued.

–The Conservation Reserve Program, which pays farmers to idle environmentally sensitive land, would be expanded from 34 million to nearly 40 million acres. A new program would protect up to 2 million acres of grasslands.

–The Environmental Quality Incentives Program, which subsidizes the cost of manure control and other conservation projects, would receive nearly $1.3 billion a year, up from $174 million. Producers could qualify for up to $50,000 per year, up from $10,000.

–A program that underwrites the cost of advertising U.S. food products overseas would more than double to $200 million annually.