Jul. 20--The recent passage of the 2008 Farm Bill, which sets the nation's agricultural policy for the next four years, benefits Connecticut agricultural operations more than previous legislation has, according to state and federal officials.
Though some area farmers question whether the bill, passed last month, does enough to help them, others say it ushers in far-reaching improvements -- to the industry as well as the towns that house it.
"I think this is the first farm bill in a long time to give a real benefit to the state of Connecticut and the Northeast," said F. Philip Prelli, the state's commissioner of agriculture. Joe Geremia, whose Geremia Farms in Wallingford covers about 50 acres and a farm-stand on Barnes Road, said the state's Congressional delegation is responsible for making the federal legislation more favorable to Connecticut farmers. "Just having someone like Congresswoman (Rosa) DeLauro who understands what our needs are is so important," Geremia said. Among the bill's highlights are: an increased commitment to funding farmland conservation programs, micro loans to help low- and moderate-income farmers implement new business ideas, and efforts to encourage farmers to use energy from renewable resources. U.S. Department of Agriculture officials discussed the legislation with Connecticut farmers at a forum earlier this month at Wesleyan University in Middletown.
"This Farm Bill just blows my mind," said David Tuttle, the USDA's rural development director for Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island. "I was amazed by the amount of time spent (on it) and by the level of detail."
Congressman Joe Courtney, D-2, said the new bill is considered to be more reform-minded than legislation that preceded it, with reductions in subsidies for large factory farms and ethanol production.
USDA officials said Connecticut's congressional delegation, led by DeLauro, D-3, spearheaded an effort to make sure that concerns of farmers in New England and the Northeast weren't pushed aside by Midwestern farming states.
"Connecticut has been considered a non-player in agriculture, but now we are advocating for a different set of priorities," Courtney said.
Some Connecticut farmers, though, don't think the farm bill went far enough in addressing the issues that are important to them.
"I wish there had been more in there for small farms because, let's face it, most of what's in there is for large farms," said David Brown, a farmer from Old Saybrook who owns Hay House Farm. "Ethanol is killing small farmers all over the world." What the new bill does offer is increased federal funding on a variety levels, not only to the farmers themselves, but also to the communities in which they live and where they buy their products.
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