U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary, Mike Johanns is scheduled to hold a Farm Bill Forum in Utah on September 14, 2005, in the Pioneer Building at the Utah State Fairpark. Any Utah farmer or rancher who would like to comment on the proposed 2007 Farm Bill is encouraged to attend and make comment. To provide structure, participants will be asked to comment on six questions that reflect key policies or programs within the Farm Bill.

Those six questions are:

1. How should farm policy address any unintended consequences and ensure that such consequences do not discourage new farmers and the next generation of farmers from entering production agriculture?

2. Competitiveness: How should farm policy be designed to maximize U.S. competitiveness and our country’s ability to compete effectively in global markets?

3. Is current farm policy designed to effectively and fairly distribute assistance to producers?

4. How can farm policy best achieve conservation and environmental goals?

5. How can Federal rural and farm programs provide effective assistance in rural areas?

6. How should these agricultural product, marketing, and research-related issues be addressed in the next farm bill?

“The 2007 Farm Bill will affect America's entire agricultural community, so I believe our entire agricultural community should have a say in the process. I welcome input from across the nation about what is working and what we can do to improve farm policy." - Mike Johanns, Secretary of Agriculture.

For more information bout the Farm Bill Forums, visit: http://www.usda.gov/farmbill.

Posted August 29, 2005