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Hello, I'm Senator Tom Harkin.
On Thursday, June 21,
the Senate passed the 2012 Farm Bill.
This legislation is a balanced and bipartisan bill
crafted under very difficult political
and budget circumstances
The bill provides important new income protections
for farmers, which builds upon a revenue protection program
that I put in the 2008 Farm Bill.
While at the same time
the 2012 bill ends outdated and unnecessary payments
to farmers, like direct payments.
The bill also continues, improves, and strengthens
a number of initiatives that we included
in previous farm bills
to assist and promote opportunities for farmers
and good nutrition for consumers
through farmers' markets and
increased local production and marketing of food.
It continues a strong conservation title
including the Conservation Security Program
which I authored years ago.
The bill reflects compromises, though,
and I regret that it reduces funding
for nutrition assistance to low-income Americans;
those spending reductions were insisted upon
by Congressional Republicans.
We must take care not to deny
essential federal support and investments
in our nation's priorities:
in food assistance, agriculture, conservation,
energy, and rural economic development.
For more information on the Senate bill,
visit my website at harkin.senate.gov.