Richard G. Lugar, United States Senator for Indiana
Home > Senator Lugar's FRESH Farm Bill

Lugar votes against Senate farm bill

U.S. Sen. Dick Lugar said today that he was encouraged that the Senate showed increased interest in farm policy reform during this year's debate, with more senators voting for his reform alternative (37 votes compared to 30 votes five years ago).�A majority of senators did vote to limit payments to the largest producers of certain crops, although those amendments failed because a super-majority of three-fifths of the Senate was required. For the second time in five years Lugar opposed the farm bill.

“I hope that reform momentum can continue to build until we have a more fiscally responsible safety net for all farmers rather than subsidies for a select few.  Our policy must be more encompassing of all agricultural, rural economic development, energy security, nutrition, and environmental needs of the United States,” Lugar said.

Read the full press release

Lugar, Lautenberg Introduce FRESH Amendment to Farm Bill Debate

On the floor of the U.S. Senate on December 11, 2007, Senator Lugar introduced the FRESH amendment The Adobe Reader logo., #3711, with Senator Frank Lautenberg. The amendment failed 37-58. Excerpts from Senator Lugar's floor statement follow:

Nutrition spending in the farm bill"... the Farm Bill we have before us does not provide meaningful reform.  Our current farm policies, sold to the American public as a safety-net, actually hurt the family farmer.  In the name of maintaining the family farm and preserving rural communities, today’s farm programs have benefited a select few while leaving the majority of farmers without support or a safety-net.

"... The genesis of our current farm policies began during the Great Depression as an effort to help alleviate poverty among farmers and rural communities... Times have changed dramatically since then.  Today, one in 75 Americans lives on a farm and only one in every 750 lives on a full-time commercial farm. Furthermore, nearly 90% of total farm household income comes from off-farm sources.  In response to those ongoing changes, in 1996 Congress finally recognized that farmers, not the government, could best ascertain what crops are profitable, and granted roughly half of our farmers flexibility in planting choices and began to transition away from federally controlled agriculture programs.

The broken three-legged stool."But in 2002, Congress and the Bush Administration reversed these reforms and created the so-called 'three legged stool' which, in addition to other farm programs, has helped to place us in violation of our WTO commitments. The Senate Agriculture Committee Farm Bill before us today perpetuates and even expands these defective policies without regard for the fact that the majority of farmers do not have a safety-net.

"... For all of these reasons, Senator Frank Lautenberg and I, along with many of our colleagues, are introducing an amendment The Adobe Reader logo. today that would provide a true safety-net for all farmers, regardless of what they grow or where they live.   For the first time, each farmer would receive – at no cost to them – either expanded county-based crop insurance policies that would cover 85 percent of expected crop revenue, or 80 percent of a farm’s five year average adjusted gross revenue.   These subsidized insurance tools already exist, but our reforms would make them more effective and universally used, while controlling administrative costs.  Farmers would also be able to purchase insurance to cover the remainder of their revenue and yields.

"... Agriculture policy is too important for rural America and the economic and budgetary health of our country to continue the current misguided path.  Our amendment provides a much more equitable approach, produces higher net farm income for farmers, increases farm exports, avoids stimulating over-production, and gives more emphasis to environmental, nutritional, energy security and research concerns.  More importantly, this proposal will protect the family farmer through a strong safety-net and encourage rural development in a fiscally responsible and trade compliant manner.

Read Senator Lugar's full floor statement

The FRESH Act:

Senator Lugar's Letter to his Colleagues:

Senator Lugar, Environmental Working Group Press Conference:

The FRESH Act Press Conference:

Farm Bill Links:

FRESH News:
Newspaper articles and columns discussing and endorsing Senator Lugar's true-reform farm bill:

Lugar, Lautenberg Offer FRESH Reform for Farm Bill

U.S. Senators Dick Lugar (R-IN) and Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) introduced the Farm, Ranch, Equity, Stewardship and Health (FRESH) Act on October 23, 2007.U.S. Senators Dick Lugar (R-IN) and Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) introduced the Farm, Ranch, Equity, Stewardship and Health (FRESH) Act, S. 2228, on October 23, 2007. The comprehensive farm bill reform would end depression era federal crops subsidies that benefit only a few farmers, of a few crops, in a few states. The new safety net would be an insurance program available to all American farmers.

The FRESH Act will save billions in farm payments, while broadening the agricultural safety net. The savings would be invested in other vital programs with $3 billion left over to reduce the deficit.

The bill would expand popular revenue insurance tools, and for the first time, with no out of pocket cost for farmers.  Unlike current programs, this safety net would protect against unforeseen risks, but would not provide automatic payments to farmers when unneeded, and would not continue to distort domestic and foreign agricultural markets.