WASHINGTON, D.C. – American agriculture secretary Dan Glickman chose a press conference of national farm writers to make a not-so-subtle appeal for farmers to exercise their freedom under the new farm bill and plant more.
“I would encourage farmers to take the early-out option,” Glickman said of a rule in the 1996 Freedom to Farm bill that allows farmers to take land out of the Conservation Reserve Program. “They shouldn’t be afraid to take advantage of this opportunity.”
The reserve was established by federal farm law 10 years ago to take lands vulnerable to wind, water and soil erosion out of production. More than 36 million acres are enrolled in the program.
Read Also
Agriculture ministers agree to AgriStability changes
federal government proposed several months ago to increase the compensation rate from 80 to 90 per cent and double the maximum payment from $3 million to $6 million
But under new farm law recently signed by the White House, farmers with land that has been in the reserve at least five years can apply to take it out so long as it isn’t classified as highly vulnerable .
Glickman estimated this so-called “early-out” option could swiftly put one to two million acres of land back into production.
The impetus for Glickman’s appeal is the poor state of the hard red winter wheat crop in Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas, the tightest wheat stocks since the end of the Second World War and planting delays in the Midwest U.S. cornbelt. Wheat and corn prices have soared due to the situation.
Poor to fair winter wheat
The Kansas State Agricultural Statistics service rated more than half its winter wheat crop, 58 percent, in poor to very poor condition and another 29 percent is rated as fair as of April 22. None of the crop is rated in excellent condition.
While Glickman urged farmers to carefully consider the early-out option and use their best judgment, he said he has no intention of throwing the program open and doing away with it
“There will be no dustbowl on my watch as secretary,” he vowed.
