Rep. Hinchey: Revised farm policies needed for U.S. agriculture

By Blaine P. Friedlander Jr.

Upstate New York Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-26th Dist.) told a group of international fellows at Cornell that he believes agricultural policies in the United States need major revision and that with a new administration in Washington, prospects for installing sensible, sustainable American farm policies are dim.

U.S. Congressman Maurice Hinchey speaks with Jenifer Wightman, a graduate student in environmental toxicology, after his talk on "U.S. Rural Development Policy" in 404 Plant Science Building, Feb. 9. Robert Barker/University Photography

"Since I've been an adult, we haven't had a sensible national agriculture policy. In fact, we don't have a sensible regional agriculture policy either," he said, speaking before Hubert H. Humphrey fellows Feb. 9 in the Plant Sciences Building. The Humphrey fellows -- business people and academics from around the world studying international agriculture and rural development at Cornell -- meet each Friday to hear from expert speakers.

"The 2001 Farm Bill is coming up, and I'm not optimistic it will help," Hinchey said.

The 1996 Farm Bill -- known as the Freedom to Farm Act -- eliminated a time-tested safety net (subsidies) for farmers in "exchange for vague economic promises" that never materialized, Hinchey said. The 1996 act put many small farmers out of business, he argued. Small, family farmers sell their property to large enterprises, and the large entities get bigger and bigger. "We need an effective small farm policy, family farm policy and policies that discourage monoculture. The collectivization system we are moving toward is not sustainable," Hinchey said.

The United States is still a very prosperous nation, he said, citing the fact that stock prices have climbed, the economy has grown and once-persistent budget deficits have been erased. But, he said, the rise in the country's standard of living has bypassed rural America.

Hinchey did not hide his displeasure with President George W. Bush, who he believes may bring down a once-thriving economy through his negative comments on the economy, discussions of a pending recession and his tax cut proposals. "Bush is a destabilizing force in the economy," Hinchey said. "Sustainable economic growth has to do with psychology. People change their behavior based on what they hear," Hinchey said. "Bush has done more to hold down economic growth than anyone in the country."

The proposed Bush tax bill may negate the country's ability to pay down the remainder of national debt, Hinchey argued.

"If the Bush tax plan passes, the prospects for our own economy is very, very dim," he said. "President Bush has been destructive for the economy by virtue of his speaking, and now he'll be destructive by virtue of his fiscal policy."

After Hinchey reflected on Bush's fiscal policies, the congressman stood before the fellows and smiled. "It's only four years. This, too, shall pass," he said.