Candidate Reps Discuss Farm Policy Proposals

Dave Lefever
Editor

Representatives for presidential candidates Senators John McCain and Barack Obama recently discussed farm policy with Lancaster Farming. Representing Sen. Obama was David Lazarus, national rural vote deputy director for Obama. Representing Sen. McCain was John Block, national co-chair for McCain's farm and ranch team and former U.S. secretary of agriculture under President Ronald Reagan.

Each of the candidate representatives fielded questions on agricultural topics including trade, inheritance taxes, energy, environmental regulations, the local food movement, food safety, animal welfare and conservation. The printed interviews were approved by the respective campaigns.

John McCain

Lancaster Farming (LF): What is the role of American agriculture in the global economy?

John Block: It's of enormous importance. Food prices and the cost of living have significantly increased, especially in other countries. We need to utilize and adopt new technology to produce more food. Genetic engineering will help tremendously with increasing production. As Americans use more of the land to grow crops used for biofuels, there will be more pressure to produce food more rapidly on the limited acres. Despite the food versus fuel criticism, use of biofuels is inevitable, as the U.S. continues to spend money and give money to countries that are not allies. McCain has been for drilling, nuclear power plants and supports wind and solar energy. Obama's party says they are for drilling, but they do everything in their power to stop it. Obama is opposed to drilling oil wells within 50 miles off coast — the easiest areas to drill. There's no question about it, Obama and his party are not friends of ours when it comes to energy, and energy is vitally important to agriculture.

LF: What is Senator McCain's approach to fostering trade relationships and getting trade talks back on track?

Block:  McCain will work hard to get the Doha round back on track, and once it does, that will open the door to move forward. Obama insists on frivolous rules and regulations on labor and the environment with other countries, and those countries are not going to accept these demands. Consequently, agreements will not get moved forward.

LF: What is McCain's view of agriculture's role in producing energy?

Block: McCain supports agriculture's role, but he does not want subsidies. He wants the market to work on its own. We will see reduction in subsidies for ethanol and biofuels. McCain especially supports the transition to cellulosic ethanol.

LF: What about biodiesel?

Block: McCain supports it as long as it will work without other subsidies.

LF: One argument is that we're subsidizing oil in various ways, and if we are going to be serious about alternative energy we have to subsidize it.

Block: I agree with that and believe McCain would as well. We've spent billions because of our interest in the Middle East — oil.

LF: Farmers are facing huge energy costs on the farm. What would a McCain administration offer to farmers dealing with this?

Block: McCain's approach is to find more energy — drill wells, allow for the other sources of energy to work.

LF: How would a McCain administration address farmers' concerns about the rising cost of health insurance?

Block: McCain proposes a $5,000 tax credit, which would go to everybody, including farmers, so farmers can use this money toward health insurance. Obama's complaining that they have to pay taxes on it. Well, at least they get it.

LF: Livestock farmers in the East are facing lots of environmental regulations. What would a McCain administration do to ensure that farmers can keep raising livestock here, to keep raising our dairy, beef and other livestock?

Block: If we keep doing things that make it harder for us to produce food here, we'll have to have it done somewhere else. This means that we would have our food imported, and we would be uncertain how safe that food is and its method of production. To prevent this, we must be more accommodating to producers in the U.S. The Democratic Party and its leadership are pushing for more regulations, which poses a threat to our private property rights. On a personal level, I should be able to do whatever I want to do with the land on my farm. The Democrats want it to be dictated by the federal government. Obama and his party leaders lack the experience in agriculture that Republican leaders have. If the federal government takes over, we're going to lose a lot of our rights. The same is true with raising livestock, telling us that chickens have to be running out in the fields, and we can't use crates for hogs. You can't do this, you can't do that. They're trying to protect barred owls and the kangaroo rat out in California.

LF: Regarding food safety, how would a McCain administration propose to help farmers with the loss of money and protect consumers?

Block: In many of these specific issues, people need to consider what they already know about each of the candidates and their philosophies. McCain's philosophy does not include over-regulation, like Obama's does. McCain's administration would not take advantage of spending opportunities or over-tax. Based on what we already know about McCain's philosophy, he will be better for agriculture.

LF: We have heard that agriculture is an exception to areas affected by the recent economic crisis. But commodity prices continue to decrease. Credit concerns are on farmers' minds as an issue. What is your view of the credit crisis as it affects agriculture?

Block: The government is doing a lot of things that we need to work away from. In talking to the Farm Credit system, they say they are confident that they have no problem with money. I'm not convinced that we have a problem. It might eventually spill over into agriculture, but so far it has not.   

LF: Regarding Farm Bill policies, what is Senator McCain's position on commodity subsidies?

Block: He supports a safety net, which has yet to be defined by both parties, but not direct payments and wants to get more control over subsidies. A large part of the Farm Bill — 80 percent of it — does not even go to farmers. One of the reasons McCain opposes it is because it has a lot of stuff in it. McCain is not happy with all of the extra stuff our tax dollars are supporting.

LF: What would be McCain's priorities for the next Farm Bill?

Block: He would make sure it's market-oriented, reduce the subsidies and restructure it so it's a safety net and not a subsidy program. He would certainly support money for disaster relief, but some reforms need to be made to the federal crop insurance program. People are growing crops they wouldn't even grow on certain land in parts of the country if it weren't for federally subsidized crop insurance.

LF: What role does the government have in funding conservation programs for farmers through the Farm Bill?

Block: John McCain is a strong supporter of conservation.

LF: What is Sen. McCain's immigration reform policy?

Block: McCain's point of view is simple. We need to secure the border. We should also find a way to naturalize illegal immigrants that are already here, rather than deporting them, as their work is an important asset to agricultural production. He's realistic in saying "we need them," and taking an honest and straight-forward approach.

LF: What is McCain's position on inheritance tax?

Block: Senator McCain supports a $10 million tax exemption and taxes anything above that 15 percent.

LF: What is a reasonable approach to animal welfare?

Block: It should be science-based, rather than on  someone's whim or personal opinion. For example, I think that chickens are perfectly happy in cages. It's a lot cleaner than them running around in their own you-know-what. Many people involved in animal rights form their own ideas about how to change things before checking the facts. Some things will be changed over time, but we don't need to go overboard, we need to be realistic. Such changes should be approached from a safety in food production standpoint. A fair percentage of animal rights people happen to be vegetarians. They're not even pushing animal rights. They don't want us to harvest animals for food. So we don't need be going along with them.

LF: What is Senator McCain's perspective on the locally grown food movement?

Block: McCain is a major supporter of locally grown products. There's a huge market for local growers, especially considering the increasing cost of importing food. Local food is obviously also fresher.

LF: Is a worldwide acceptance of biotechnology something that McCain would promote?

Block: Absolutely — he realizes that it is the route we must take to satisfy the global economy.

LF: Is there anything else you would like to add?

Block: Americans need to consider the big picture. They need to take a good look at each candidate and what he stands for. We rural Americans know John McCain well, and what we know about Obama is his extremely liberal voting record. Senator McCain believes in trade and has always supported free trade agreements. Obama has said that he wants to rewrite the North American Free Trade Agreement. He refuses to support the Colombian Trade Agreement that we have negotiated with and the one with South Korea. Both of those would bring in great dividends for agriculture. But Obama will not push Congress toward that agreement. The immigration issue is something we need to move forward with, as it strongly pertains to production in agriculture. McCain wants to control the border, while keeping the workers here that we need. We don't want our workers to leave, forcing crops to be imported to the U.S.

Barack Obama

Lancaster Farming (LF): Starting with the bigger picture, what plans does an Obama administration have to work within the world community to develop markets for U.S. ag products?

David Lazarus: An Obama administration would recognize the vital importance of trade to agriculture. Within the last decade, we have seen an increase of commodities exported, specifically wheat, soybeans, corn, dairy and meat. Obama has supported funding for key trade programs for agriculture, such as the Market Access Program and Foreign Market Development Program. Such programs will play a key role in opening up new markets. Obama has a history of supporting improvements in market access for agricultural products and fighting trade barriers like Japan and Korea’s ban on U.S. beef. In terms of trade, this would ensure U.S. products are treated fairly by trading partners.

LF: Have free trade agreements, such as the North American Free Trade Agreement and recent ones in South America, been working for U.S. and foreign farmers?

Lazarus: Barack Obama firmly supports open markets and believes that trade can play an important role in a strong American economy. He understands America is at its best when we open markets for our goods and services, while ensuring that we compete on a level playing field. Unfortunately, far too often, our trade agreements are written to serve corporate lobbyists and special interests, not American workers and families. The global economy is a reality and a challenge we must confront - but we do have the choice to change the policies of recent years and to ensure that our international economic policies are structured to raise the aspirations and dignity of workers, farmers and businesses here and abroad.

LF: What plan would an Obama administration have to make health care more affordable for farmers?

Lazarus: Obama’s plan will ensure that all Americans can afford and have access to health care. This means savings of $2,500 spent on health care, per individual family per year. Obama also will enact a small business health tax credit. As the status quota has not been working, Obama’s plan would enact commonsense measures to bring down the cost for health care of American farmers.

LF: How would the inheritance tax be handled in an Obama administration?

Lazarus: Obama proposes a generous $7 million tax exemption. The policy would eliminate the estate tax entirely for 99.7% of estates in the U.S. Obama’s policy will cut the number of estates touched by the tax by 84 percent, relative to 2000.

LF: Food safety has become a public issue in the meat and vegetable supply. How can we ensure food safety?

Lazarus: We need to see reform in the FDA. The FDA teeters from recall to recall without proactive and minimum standards in place to ensure surveillance and recall procedures. It’s also problematic to hear that the FDA won’t consult with industry leaders to assess the source of the problems during recalls. Reform in FDA is a bipartisan issue - no significant updates in meat inspection have been written since 1908. Congress has not acted to update the statutes.

LF: We are seeing a thriving movement in locally grown food production and marketing, including organic. What is the role of that movement?

Lazarus: This is one of the most exciting developments in agriculture today. It’s clearly an exciting development that does not crowd out other participants. It creates new opportunities for future generations to become or remain involved in agriculture, as recent demographic trends show a tendency to break away from agriculture. New marketing opportunities are also presented. The consumer also benefits by knowing the source of their food and appreciating the procedure. There is plenty of room for both large-scale commercial agriculture and smaller, more traditional entities to progress.

LF: What are Obama’s views on how conservation programs have fared in the Farm Bill?

Lazarus: The Farm Bill has proposed significant new investments in conservation programs. Funding for these programs is critical to allow for additional acreage to be reserved and for practices to be implemented to enhance the environmental profile of operations around the U.S.

LF: What are some ways to work with farmers to alleviate high energy costs?

Lazarus: Farmers are pinched by record energy prices and feel firsthand the effects of our energy crisis, yet farmers also know that rural communities are on the cutting edge of efforts to end it, and it’s time Washington stepped up to help. That’s why Obama has established a goal to have 60 billion gallons of our fuel come from sustainable, affordable biofuels by 2022, and he will invest $150 billion over the next ten years in our green energy sector, creating up to 5 million new jobs in the process - jobs that pay well and can’t be outsourced. In the interim, he recognizes that continued support for responsible development of domestic oil and gas resources must also be a priority as we work to diversify our nation’s energy supply.

LF: What are Obama’s views on the food versus fuel issue?

Lazarus: Obama is a leading advocate in the Senate for renewable fuels. Production of those fuels increase farmer profitability, creating new markets for commodities and green jobs. Regarding the recent debate of food versus fuel, we want to make sure that unintended consequences are not displacing other sectors of agriculture. We have reviewed independent reports which reveal that - while there has been an undeniable increase in food prices in correlation with renewable fuels production - the causal link is fairly minimal. In fact, the increase of food prices is largely due to the increase in oil prices. In addition, Obama supports aggressive investment in advanced biofuels, including those from non-food feedstocks.

LF: What is the role of crop subsidies for American farmers?

Lazarus: Obama supports a robust safety net for producers, which includes a series of risk-mitigation tools and recognizes agriculture as a capital-intensive industry and that natural phenomena can wipe out a farmer’s business. It takes long-term strategic planning, as a result. Our food security ultimately is a matter of national security, as we do not want to depend on the rest of the world for our food supply like we do today for our energy supply needs. If farmers are unable to stay on the land, our food supply security is put at risk. McCain has taken on a position that these programs are wasteful of taxpayers’ money. He said he would have vetoed the 2008 Farm Bill like President Bush. Obama supports important programs such as the MILC (Milk Income Loss Contract) program and traditional farming programs. He supports the mix of the traditional program payments, crop insurance, the acreage program and programs created in the Farm Bill to prevent permanent disasters. People argue that the Farm Bill is only relevant to agriculture, but the breakdown of payments shows that under 25 percent of the bill’s spending money is devoted to those programs. More of the bill is oriented toward the largest increase in nutrition programs in the Farm Bill’s history and conservation programs. Obama supported these aspects of the Farm Bill; McCain voted against them.

LF: Farmers are facing more and more regulations, for example, the demands the Chesapeake Bay Program has put on them. How would an Obama administration take the farmer’s side in making sure they can remain in business, while adhering to environmental standards?

Lazarus: An Obama administration will focus on having a transparent government that works for all stakeholders, that brings people to the table. He believes farmers should contribute to the process when making decisions regarding issues pertinent to agriculture.

LF: What would an Obama administration’s view be on the balancing act between animal rights versus animal welfare?

Lazarus: Senator Obama supports humane handling and animal welfare just like most producers and consumers. Where there are gaps in the regulatory framework, like the non-ambulatory cattle loophole, we’ll need to work to improve standards to ensure animals are being treated humanely.

LF: What is Obama’s position on immigration reform, particularly on how it relates to farm labor?

Lazarus: The agriculture industry relies heavily on seasonal and migrant labor. Obama helped lead the fight for comprehensive immigration reform in the Senate, and he will make it a priority as president. He believes we need comprehensive reform that secures our border, fixes our broken immigration bureaucracy and puts the 12 million undocumented immigrants on a responsible path to citizenship. At the workplace, we need a simple, but mandatory electronic system that enables employers to verify the legal status of the people they hire. We need to make sure we allocate visas in a way that honors America’s commitment to family unity and hard work while also leaving room to bring people that America needs to compete in a global economy. We must also ensure that immigrant workers have the full rights and responsibilities of any other worker in our labor market.

LF: What is Sen. Obama’s position on the role of biotechnology in the future of agriculture?

Lazarus: Advances in the genetic engineering of plants have provided enormous benefits to American farmers. Senator Obama believes that we can continue to modify plants safely with new genetic methods, abetted by stringent tests for environmental and health effects and by stronger regulatory oversight guided by the best available scientific advice. Genetic research can already provide real assistance for those in some of the poorest regions who lack access to adequate food sources. Through increased research and development, we can help foster a new Green Revolution like the one that transformed Asia several decades ago.

LF: Is there anything else you would like to add?

Lazarus: It is important to stress the major contrast of support for the agricultural industry between Obama and McCain. Obama has learned from and is sensitive to issues involving those in agriculture in Illinois. If you look at our opponent, there’s a stark record of opposing Farm Bills. And he’s voted against renewable energy 23 times, including votes against the renewable fuel standard, ethanol tax credits, and solar and wind energy tax credits.