Senate Farm Bill Passed 79-14
Dorgan-Grassley Amendment Failed
Organic Gains Retained Through Process
Today, the Senate passed the 2007 Farm Bill by a vote of 79-14. The organic provisions of the bill remain largely intact and many of them are closely aligned with our goals. However, the Dorgan-Grassley Payment Limitations Amendment failed by a vote of 56-43 – it needed a super-majority of 60 votes in order to pass. Democratic leadership required this super-majority in order to appease members of their own party who were not supporting the amendment. You can read more details on this procedural move at the Environmental Working Group’s Blog.
Thanks to all of you who contacted your Senators. Though the amendment failed, the close vote sent a strong message to Congress that people want change, and this will help to build more momentum for future efforts to pass agriculture policies that are fair and equitable. Moreover, the organic provisions in the bill so far, if passed, will be a tremendous boon to organic family farmers throughout the country.
To find out how your Senator voted, read the full Senate vote count for the Dorgan-Grassley Amendment. Visit the Senate website to find out how to contact your Senators. Please take a moment to contact your Senators and express your thanks or disappointment on their votes.
Follow up calls are really important in holding elected officials accountable. If you make a call, please let us know. Contact Tracy Lerman at (831) 426-6606 x 108 or tracy@ofrf.org.
Conference Committee Ahead
Now that the bill has passed, it will go to a House-Senate Conference Committee to work out the differences, likely in January or February. There are several differences between the two bills on many organic provisions, particularly in the amount of funding for organic agriculture research ($5 million/year in the House Bill vs. $16 million/year in the Senate Bill.) Read our forthcoming Farm Bill update (to be posted to the Federal Legislation page of our website in the coming days) for a more detailed breakdown of the organic Farm Bill provisions.
OFRF will be advocating for the strongest organic provisions from each version of the bill, and we’ll need your help! Stay tuned for more updates and alerts in the coming weeks.
More Info
The Sustainable Agriculture Coalition’s statement on the defeat of the Dorgan-Grassley Amendment.
“Senate Kills Bids to Cut Farm Payments.” – The Associated Press, 12/13/07
OFAN's recent alert with background info on the Dorgan-Grassley Payment Limitations Amendment.
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