Obama, McCain are quiet on farm and food policy

Wheat and corn grower Billy Bob Brown has been busy farming in the windswept Texas Panhandle, but not too busy to listen for the views of Barack Obama and John McCain on food and farm policy.But Brown hasn't heard much from the two presidential contenders on the subject. He's not alone. Despite the importance to the country of agriculture and food issues, they've gotten short shrift from the candidates so far."As long as you put food in your mouth, have clothes on your back and you get in an automobile and turn the key and drive, you're involved in agriculture because we provide food, fiber and fuel for everyone," Brown said.Brain Halweil of the Worldwatch Institute, an environmental advocacy group, agrees this year's campaigns have bypassed these crucial issues."This is not the election where people are talking about farmers' markets and food stamps and changing the face of American agriculture," said Halweil, an expert in food and agriculture policy.Democrat Obama and Republican McCain did take time to answer questions from the American Farm Bureau, an industry and lobbying group for agricultural producers.But it's unclear who's asking the questions on behalf of American consumers about farm subsidies, local and organic foods, the environment, and renewable fuels made from crops.Halweil and other alternative voices say they are trying to when they scrutinize how the United States produces, processes and provides food for those who are -- as some put it -- "mere eaters." They're not happy with agriculture today, built as it is on government payments to producers in an outdated system that wastes money and encourages farmers to produce commodities that make us fat.In 2007, $5 billion in direct government payments flowed to producers, according to the Environmental Working Group, which maintains an extensive subsidy database. The government paid $34.8 billion in commodity program subsidies from 2003 to 2005.From Arizona, McCain opposes farm subsidies and wants reform. He voted against the 2008 farm bill, legislation some contend did little to revamp the system.The farm bill sets policy for five to seven years for subsidies, conservation, nutrition assistance for the low income, and other programs beyond agriculture."John McCain does support a safety net, but he recognizes the need for reforms in the system so there are not abuses," Rep. Adam Putnam, R-Fla., a McCain adviser on farm and ranch issues, told the American Farm Bureau in an audio clip.Obama, hailing from mega-corn producing Illinois, voted for the 2008 farm bill and favors a strong safety net, which he defined in a Farm Bureau questionnaire as traditional farm programs, crop insurance and disaster assistance.The single policy change that could help Americans the most would be to shift from commodity payments to "green or ecological payments," said Worldwatch's Halweil said."Farmers would still get paid, but they would be rewarded for certain ecological goals -- not just producing a bushel of corn," he said.Cutting back on fertilizer and pesticide, planting winter cover crops and introducing more diversity into farms could also pay off for producers, Halweil said.Many farmers insist they need current subsidies as costs for fuel, equipment and fertilizer are sliding up -- not to mention a safety net against fickle Mother Nature and times of sagging prices.Kenneth Gully, an agricultural producer in central West Texas, said he fears the safety net could become a target because whoever is elected president will be looking to cut the budget as much as possible."If they do trim the budget there, they could create some really bad problems for America, probably worse problems than what we've seen right now as far as the economic crisis goes," Gully said.An American Farm Bureau official said the farm bill is a done deal, and his group is now focusing on candidates' policies on energy, trade, taxes and the environment that affect producers.Most provisions key to agriculture will be funded, many automatically, said Mark Maslyn, Farm Bureau executive director of public policy.But producer Gully could be right on target.Congress is likely to have a yen to cut direct payments because of the huge federal budget deficit, said Steve Pearson, a farm and ranch issues adviser to McCain.Will the candidate cooperate? He "will support a lot of things if he can save some money," said Pearson, adding he doesn't know about farm payments specifically.John Block, a former secretary of agriculture and go-to guy on agriculture for Obama, said his candidate has already said there won't be enough money for everything in the budget.But Block didn't know Obama's position on direct farm payments in particular.Obama wants to promote regional food systems, according to his campaign Web site. He'd also encourage organic and local agriculture by helping organic farmers afford to certify crops, as well as change crop insurance so they're not penalized.Environmental advocate Halweil said that would be a big improvement."Despite the fact that Americans are more and more interested in buying organic for a variety of reasons, the government has done very little to support those farmers to help them in terms of research, certification, crop insurance," he said.McCain wants to foster a "21st Century green revolution," his campaign Web site said. That calls for research to develop higher yields and more production per acre.Both candidates support environmental stewardship of agricultural land, promising to promote conservation programs.Energy is another big concern both for farmers and "mere eaters.""We're large energy users on the farm," agriculture lobbyist Maslyn said. "And we need to take advantage of the resources that we have here, both renewable and conventional."Obama advocates government supports for biofuels, largely derived from corn.McCain wants to foster the development of renewable fuels with incentives for private industry and not distort the markets with subsidies.But environmental advocate Halweil thinks both are missing the point, especially when it comes to battling climate change through agriculture."The U.S. agricultural industry is a giant, untapped carbon credit," he said.The government could begin rewarding farmers not just for producing alternative fuels but also for actually changing their farming practices to get more carbon in the soil, Halweil said."An American farm can sequester a ton of carbon and make a serious dent in the greenhouse gases that Americans generate in any given year," he said.E-mail Scripps Howard News Service Washington correspondent Trish Choate at choatet(at)shns.com. Denisse Rauda is reporting intern with SHNS.(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, http://www.scrippsnews.com)