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Thursday, June 05, 2008

Guest View: Hey, Mccain: Farm Bill Is Vital

By Margarita Mercure Hibbs

      The Farm Bill, officially known as the Food, Conservation and Energy Act, is not perfect. That does not, however, diminish how vital it is in our efforts to feed the world, supply energy for our nation, conserve our resources, assure a cleaner environment, improve our water quality, and advance the quality of life for millions of Americans.
    There are realities for rural Americans that should not be forgotten as we peer into the future, strengthening our state and our nation. With the ongoing anxiety of a deepening recession, exorbitant gas prices and local families who lost their homes in the Trigo Fire, the larger question is, are we a nation that cares for our rural people, or is this merely lip service paid during political campaigns?
    In Torrance County, according to the New Mexico Public Education data of 2003-04, we know that 39.6 percent of children in the Mountainair School District, 25.6 percent of children in the Estancia School District and 14.5 percent of children in the Moriarty-Edgewood School District were living under the federal poverty level. The percentages of children participating in the Free Lunch Program are 60 percent, 58 percent and 41 percent, respectively. Presbyterian Medical Services reports that the average Social Security income of a single senior in Torrance County is $600 per month. Our own Bethel Community Storehouse of Moriarty reports that in 2005 there were 200 seniors receiving food pantry boxes each month. New Mexico Human Services Division estimates that 26.6 percent of the population in Torrance County is receiving food stamps.
    It is important for urban and rural Americans to realize that even though the Farm Bill suggests this is strictly a rural concern, the fact is, this is also an urban concern. This is an opportunity to recognize the tangible values that rural America brings to the dinner table everywhere. With the growing concern for quality food products in the marketplace, it is extremely important to strengthen America's farmers and the supporting communities to remain viable and strong for current and future needs.
    Nearly 70 percent of the Farm Bill is invested in nutrition programs, notably school lunches, food stamps and worldwide feeding programs. These programs are supported by churches and synagogues, anti-hunger groups and food banks, organic food producers, specialty crop growers and nearly every farm and commodity organization. Food banks help nearly 90,000 New Mexico families each month from going hungry.
    Thousands of working poor New Mexicans suffer from a lack of food. Our state is third in hunger, and more than half of New Mexico students benefit from the school lunch program. The average food stamp benefit is a mere $1 per person per meal and the minimum benefit level has been stuck at the same level for 30 years. Who of these people should be denied help?
    The bill also helps farmers who grow specialty crops such as chile, onions, hay, greenhouse plants and pecans by providing $400,000 annually in grant funds to the New Mexico Department of Agriculture to help market and promote “grown in New Mexico” products and to improve the methods of growing and harvesting these crops. Additional funding will be available to universities, such as New Mexico State University, and producers for research on disease prevention, improved breeding, mechanization and food safety, according to Sen. Jeff Bingaman.
    Given the merits of the bill, the conditions in our economy and the people this bill will serve; how can any candidate support this veto? President Bush promised he would veto the Farm Bill. Well he did, even though both the House and Senate have given it strong bipartisan support. It was no surprise that Sen. John McCain joined Bush in turning his back on rural America by declaring that he would have done the same if he were president. McCain and Bush have similar records of patently ignoring the concerns of rural communities.
    The Bush veto, supported by McCain, ignores the needs of rural communities and, if not overturned, would damage vital efforts to improve the conservation and provide for the research needed to develop the next generation of renewable fuels. The Conservation Reserve Program is New Mexico's largest agricultural program, providing $57.4 million to more than 2,300 recipients in our state.
    Both McCain and Bush have consistently supported “corporate welfare” in the form of subsidies and massive tax cuts for defense, “big oil” and other big business contractors. Their joint opposition to legislation that would help rural America shows their disdain for food producers and programs like access to broadband that greatly improves the lives of rural citizens. For instance, they oppose additional funding in the bill to purchase Native American and locally grown foods.
    With the presidential election less than six months away, voters in small towns have been forewarned that we can expect an extension of Bush policies in a McCain administration if he is elected president. By his statements, he appears to have turned his back on rural voters. In November, we will have the chance to let Sen. McCain know how it feels.
    Hibbs is first lady of Estancia and a leadership specialist for the My Rural America Action Fund, which can be found online at www.myruralamerica.org.
   

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