July 6, 2006

Ms. Gina Acosta,
Acting Editor, Letters to the Editor
The Washington Post
1150 15th St., NW
Washington, DC 20071-0002

Dear Ms. Acosta:

The Post’s recent stories about fatal flaws plaguing U.S. farm programs illustrate how badly new policies are needed. It’s time taxpayers received a fair, scandal-free return on their enormous investment. That means programs that protect farmers while providing better conservation, cleaner water and fewer obstacles to trade agreements. American Farmland Trust, with input from farmers and others, released a new generation of policy options that overcome those flaws. One option would replace fixed payments with “green” payments made only to farmers and only when they meet high environmental standards. Another would replace counter-cyclical payments with a safety net that aids farmers only when they really need help and requires them to share the financial risks. The time is ripe for these changes, which would increase waning public support. Given an unprecedented array of global and domestic forces for change, we’re confident it can happen in the 2007 Farm Bill.

Sincerely,

Ralph Grossi

President
American Farmland Trust
1200 18th St., NW, Suite 800
Washington, DC 20036