By TIM ALEXANDER
Illinois Correspondent

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — “Positive” and “forward-thinking” were two of the descriptions used by Illinois Farm Bureau (IFB) and Illinois Corn Growers Assoc. (ICGA) officials when reacting to the Durbin-Brown Farm Safety Net Improvement Act of 2007, unveiled during a media teleconference call last week.

The legislation is designed to reform the 2007 farm bill to provide a better safety net for farmers by replacing current price-support programs with a comprehensive revenue protection program.

“Illinois Farm Bureau thanks Sen. (Dick) Durbin for his leadership on the farm bill,” said IFB president Philip Nelson in a statement following the teleconference, at which Illinois senator Durbin and Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, both Democrats, were joined by National Corn Growers Assoc. (NCGA) president Ken McCauley and American Farmland Trust’s Ralph Grossi in announcing the legislation.

“In recent years, Illinois farmers have become interested in the potential for a revenue-based safety net that addresses both the price and production challenges they face. They believe a revenue-based concept would also help the United States comply with agricultural trade obligations. “Obviously, Sen. Durbin has been listening carefully to this discussion and has incorporated IFB revenue concepts in his bill.”

The ICGA lauded Durbin and Brown.

“This is exactly the kind of forward-thinking farm bill proposal ICGA has been seeking, because it focuses on keeping farmers viable in the future rather than dwelling on the past,” said ICGA President Steve Ruh. “Our members want a revenue-based safety net that embraces the reality of today’s unpredictable market. Sen. Durbin has set the farm bill debate on the right course.”

A survey of ICGA members and other Illinois corn growers reflected a desire for change in farm programs, with three of five respondents indicating they would support a federal financial safety net that changes the current format to one that covers low revenue rather than low prices.

“ICGA members have clearly said we need a new farm bill approach that looks at both yield and revenue in deciding federal program protection,” said Ruh. “This approach, in combination with better private crop insurance, can provide the kind of comprehensive program this nation needs.”

Like the NCGA, ICGA promotes a county- instead of a state-based revenue program, though it calls the Durbin-Brown plan “a step in the right direction in farm policy reform that is functional, based on budget realities and provides a stronger safety net for farm families nationwide.”

This farm news was published in the Aug. 1, 2007 issue of Farm World, serving Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan and Tennessee.