Ag Committee Chairman Chambliss Comments on Farm Bill

WASHINGTON, D.C.--Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Saxby Chambliss, R-GA, said that proposals for an extension of the 2002 farm bill or a complete rewrite of the farm program in 2007 are too simplistic and that Congress may extend some programs and change others. He also said he wants to write a five-year bill rather than a one or two year bill because he believes agriculture needs a farm bill to provide "stability" to the industry. Chambliss said the content of the bill would depend on three factors, the budget, the allocation between farm programs and nutrition programs and the division between commodity programs and conservation programs. Chambliss also said he wants to preserve the current mix of conservation programs because some parts of the country use some conservation programs more than others.