By Lori Ehde
President George W. Bush signed into law this week a bill that will dictate major farming decisions for the next six years.
The 2002 Farm Bill, like many of its predecessors, has a combination of good and bad attributes, according to Rock County Farm Service Agency Director Roger Carlson.
On the positive side, the new bill gives farmers more options, but the benefits will go to those who take the time to study them.
"It's going to be hard for them to make so many decisions, because theyÕll have to analyze the information," Carlson said.
This makes the process more complicated, but the end result, he said, will be a farm bill tailored to optimize individual operations.
For example, the new bill allows farmers to use current crop information as a basis for their application, or they can use an average of the past four years, depending on which best suits them.
"It will mean more payments in the hands of farmers, and that's a positive thing," Carlson said.
"Everybody's going to be getting more, mostly because crop prices have been so depressed in the past four years."
Rep. Mark Kennedy attended the Farm Bill Signing Ceremony at the White House. "I was happy to witness President Bush signing such an important bill," Kennedy said. "This is a good day for Minnesota farmers."
Kennedy said the "Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002" strengthens the safety net for farmers and invests in programs so farmers can ultimately get payments out of the marketplace and not from the government.
"This is not a perfect bill," Kennedy said. "But it is a bill that strikes a difficult balance between commodity support and conservation."
Carlson said he and his staff in Luverne are busy figuring individual crop base information for the past four years for producers to use in their decisions.
Another notable change in the new bill is the loan rate structure. Carlson said loan rates for corn and most other crops will increase, but it will decrease for soybeans.
The important thing, Carlson said, is that farmers start their homework now.
"If they make the best decision on their basis prior to signup, it will help them in the long run," he said. "Because it is a six-year farm bill."
Arriving at the best decision in the FSA Office at signup time, he said will require some research by the farmers ahead of time.
He said heÕs happy to assist farmers, but he encourages them to also lean on the Rock County Extension Office and to read up on the 2002 Farm Bill.
He highly recommends the Web site www.agweb.com. "I was advised by our state office to get our information from that Web site," he said.
He said he's still researching the details himself, and will get information, such as the dates for the sign-up period, to local farmers as it comes to him.
The phone number for the Rock County FSA is 283-8685 ext. 2, and the phone number for the Rock County Extension Office is the same number, ext. 4.