Publication:Monroe Evening News

Aid for socially disadvantaged farmers and boosting access for new types of farm operations such as agri-businesses were topics on a tour of area farms in Monroe and Washtenaw counties last week by U.S. Rep. John Dingell, D-Dearborn.

The congressman visited farms in Maybee, Milan and Monroe as part of his annual summer tour and discussed the estate tax, the upcoming Farm Bill, assistance for socially disadvantaged growers and new types of farm businesses.

“We talked about the issues on their mind,” Rep. Dingell said in a press release afterward. “While the next Farm Bill is a few years off, today’s visit helped me to identify what our farmers in the 15th District need to be successful.”

He said growers cited a need for a food safety bill to protect farmers who are using good agricultural practices. They also discussed expanding access to assistance for socially disadvantaged farmers and providing a strong safety net for producers.

During a meeting with disadvantaged growers, he mentioned some of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s programs available to them and included in the 2008 Farm Bill:

- $75 million in mandatory funding through 2012 for outreach and technical assistance programs for socially disadvantaged growers and ranchers.

- $75 million for the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program.
- An office of Advocacy and Outreach, which takes over duties of the Office of Outreach and Diversity currently located in the Office of Civil Rights.
- A new Minority Farmer and Rancher Advisory Committee at the USDA to maximize participation by minority farmers in USDA programs and review civil rights activities.

Rep. Dingell discussed agricultural tourism while touring Farmer Charlie’s Maze Adventures in Frenchtown Township, the first stop on his county tour. More than 23,300 farms in the United States provide ag-tourism and recreation services valued at $566 million, according to the 2007 U.S. Census of Agriculture. Of the total farms, 3,637 farms reported gross farm receipts of $25,000 or more.

In Maybee, the congressman visited with corn and soybean growers to learn more about their issues with prices, crop insurance, USDA programs and the estate tax. The tax and loans from the USDA Rural Development Office were key topics during his last stop in the Milan area with Washtenaw County young farmers.

“Agriculture is an economic engine for our state,” Rep. Dingell said. Growers “provide us with the food we need, but they also seek to educate all of us on the benefits of understanding where our food comes from and the importance of buying locally produced goods. They assume enormous risks.”
During a dinner, he discussed the food safety bill, which passed with bipartisan support in the U.S. House last year and is expected to come up in the U.S. Senate this fall. The measure would protect Michigan producers by preventing food safety problems before they occur and increase the frequency of inspections of processing facilities. The bill also would increase “traceback” capacity, so the Food and Drug Administration can determine a product’s origin facility and isolate cases of contamination.
The bill potentially could prevent or limit the impact of food scares such as the recent egg outbreak, he said. Since the first salmonella case was reported early in August, buyers have dished out 38 percent more cash for their eggs, according to the Des Moines Register.
Wholesale prices of eggs have climbed to $1.35 a dozen from 98 cents on Aug. 13, when the first outbreak was linked to an Iowa farm.

Read this at the Monroe Evening News