February 6, 2008

The Honorable Edward Schafer
Secretary of Agriculture
U.S. Department of Agriculture  
1400 Independence Avenue, S.W.
Washington, DC 20250

Dear Mr. Secretary:

We are writing to congratulate you on being confirmed as Secretary of Agriculture and look forward to working with you to reform current farm policy. We appreciate the case Deputy Secretary Conner has been making that it is essential to bring about more reform in the House and Senate versions of the farm bill, and we support the Administration’s efforts to create a better bill in conference.

As Deputy Secretary Conner stated in a recent speech, “We don't believe that our very limited farm program dollars give us the luxury to send farm income support payments to absolutely anyone-even those people with a lot of wealth and those who may not have even seen the land from which they are collecting payments….We are also concerned about the trade-distorting effects of increasing target prices and loan rates-as both bills would do. At a time when we have record exports, record farm income, good prices, we don't need to paint a bull's eye on our farmers' backs.”

It is difficult to defend a farm bill that perpetuates large payments to wealthy farmers, that encourages the production of crops in surplus, and that continues payments to individuals who no longer farm or never did. Given current high commodity prices, it is especially difficult to support a system that promotes such inequities for farmers here and abroad.

Indeed, with record breaking prices for corn, soybean, and wheat, as well as record setting agricultural exports, it is a wonder why both the House and the Senate ignored the deluge of calls for change and instead passed a bill that perpetuates—and even increases—trade-distorting commodity subsidies.

We would like to work with you to limit trade distorting subsidies and limit the commodity payments given to wealthy land owners. It is critical to enact meaningful reform before the final farm bill is presented to President Bush. We look forward to working with you to achieve this kind of real and meaningful reform in US farm programs. We hope, together, we can foster a more just and equitable approach to US farm policy.

Sincerely,

Bread for the World

Citizens Against Government Waste

Club for Growth

Environmental Working Group

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

Illinois Stewardship Alliance

Initiative for Global Development

Kansas Rural Center

National Catholic Rural Life Conference

National Peace Corps Association

National Taxpayers Union

NETWORK

Oxfam America

Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Washington Office

Progressive National Baptist Convention

RESULTS

Sojourners

Taxpayers for Common Sense

The Minnesota Project

United Church of Christ, Justice and Witness Ministries

Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy

William C. Velasquez Institute

CC: Hunter Moorhead

CC: Deputy Secretary Conner