The 2007 Farm Bill provides an unprecedented opportunity for new policies based on farm profitability and environmental stewardship.

AFT is working with farmers, ranchers and agricultural leaders across the country to develop new policies that:

• Help farmers manage risk
• Link more of federal agricultural spending to conservation and land stewardship
• Promote new market opportunities for farmers
• Help farmers transition from crop-specific income support over time

By phasing out subsidies tied to the production of specific commodities, the 2007 Farm Bill can reduce distortions resulting from the existing system, allow American agriculture to succeed in an increasingly competitive world, and preserve our agricultural resources for future generations. Such changes will also bring American farm policy into greater compliance with the requirements of international trade agreements.

Three Pillars of Support

New, forward-looking farm policy options are evolving around three key pillars of support: risk management, stewardship and new markets and products—along with a strong foundation of research, technical assistance and a strategic land base.

These pillars of future farm policy will help all farmers and ranchers—regardless of what they produce or the size and location of their operations.

Risk Management Safety Net

• Provide all farmers and ranchers with a real safety net that helps them manage the risk of natural disasters and dramatic swings in prices
• Minimize the effect of market distortions such as the artificial inflation of land values

Stewardship

• Protect a strategic base of valuable farm and ranch land
• Reward farms and ranches that improve the quality of our nation's air, water and land according to the level of environmental benefits delivered
• Provide incentives to implement conservation practices by integrating conservation planning, stewardship payments, conservation cost-share assistance, land retirement and farm and ranch land protection

New Markets and Products

• Expand opportunities for farm profitability by supporting the development of new markets and products
• Stimulate entrepreneurship and innovation on the farm and help to create a new generation of farmers
• Help farmers and ranchers adjust to globalization and to the challenges faced when competing in foreign markets
• Address national priorities such as energy independence and security; increased access to affordable, nutritional foods; environmental stewardship; and increased job opportunities in rural America