Rice Producers Support Five-Year Farm Bill Extension Cleared Yesterday by House Subcommittee

WASHINGTON, June 20, 2007 — Contacts: Reece Langley, (703) 236-1471

David Coia, (703) 236-2300

The USA Rice Producers’ Group today expressed its support and thanks for yesterday’s action by the House Agriculture Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management to approve Subcommittee Chairman Bob Etheridge’s (D-NC) five-year extension of farm bill commodity programs.

“Subcommittee Chairman Etheridge and other members — notably Rep Charles Boustany (R-LA) — clearly grasp the importance of maintaining a safety net for farmers that has actually cost taxpayers far less than the amount budgeted for farm programs in 2002,” USA Rice Producers’ Group Chairman Paul T. Combs said today. “In addition to saving taxpayers money, the farm commodity programs have helped keep food costs for Americans among the lowest in the world as a share of disposable income. We commend Chairman Etheridge and the subcommittee for their action,” Combs said.

The subcommittee also adopted a rice-related amendment offered by Rep. Boustany that would establish uniform loan rates for all classes of rice at the current level of $6.50/cwt., an action that had been sought by rice producers.

Amendments defeated during the mark up included the Bush administration’s proposed farm bill; a farm program buyout, proposed by the CitiGroup financial conglomerate; and a reduction of commodity program benefits, with a transfer of the savings to conservation, energy, nutrition and other farm bill programs.

Other actions in Congress also deserve commendation, Combs said, notably the approval of a “sense of the Congress” amendment offered by Rep. Jerry Moran (R-KS) that says no funds should be shifted out of the commodity title to other areas of the farm bill.

The commodity provisions remain the same as in current farm law, but with the rice- and cotton-specific changes and a few other minor changes for other crops.

“Things will only become tougher from this point forward,” Combs said, “but at least we are starting from a better position than the draft bill released last week which included tighter payment limits.”

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USA Rice Producers’ Group is a charter member of the USA Rice Federation, the national advocate for all segments of the rice industry, conducting activities to influence government programs, developing and initiating programs to increase worldwide demand for U.S. rice, and providing other services to increase profitability for all industry segments.