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| Congressman Cardoza plugs Farm Bill benefits |
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| Written by John Saiz | Patterson Irrigator | |
| Friday, 30 May 2008 | |
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“Without the bill, millions of Americans would go hungry.” — Dennis Cardoza Congressman MODESTO — Rep. Dennis Cardoza, D-Atwater, came to Modesto on Wednesday to talk about the 2008 Farm Bill. The West Side’s member of the House of Representatives spoke to a group of about 15 agricultural folks at the Stanislaus County Farm Bureau regarding the benefits local growers can expect from the complex legislation, which is expected to become law after Congress overrode a veto by President Bush. A technical error prevented it from becoming law immediately. Cardoza highlighted the benefits to “specialty crops” — like nuts and fruit — which he said have typically been ignored. That’s of significant importance to California, where much of the nation’s specialty crops are grown. “In past farm bills, the word California had barely been mentioned,” said Bill Ferriera, president of the Apricot Producers of California. Cardoza said California got about $2 billion to help specialty crop growers. The Farm Bill also funds some health education initiatives and government programs like food stamps. Representatives from several sectors of the California agricultural industry were on hand at the Wednesday meeting and praised Cardoza for his work on the legislation, which drew criticism from the White House and other interest groups for providing too much money for growers of commercial crops like corn and soy at a time of high food prices. Cardoza said much of the money the federal government doles out through the Farm Bill helps growers comply with stricter environmental and safety regulations. “Environmental concerns are at a point we’ve never seen before,” said Ray Souza, president of Modesto-based Western United Dairymen. While the bill funnels billions in taxpayer dollars to growers nationwide, Cardoza stressed the bill is not a giveaway. “The funds will allow growers to comply with federal regulations,” Cardoza said. “None of the funds I fought for are handouts. The federal government has some obligation to assist.” He also talked about what he saw as the bill’s shortfalls. When one beekeeper asked if Central Valley beekeepers, who have experienced major losses because of a phenomenon called “colony collapse,” will be able to get their hands on disaster funds, Cardoza responded that he didn’t know if the incidents the keeper had talked about would be covered. But he went on criticize the disaster relief portion of the bill. Cardoza said in previous years there was a $13 billion need, but only $2.3 billion had been earmarked in the current bill. “The first people in will sop up all the money,” Cardoza said. He also said the bill didn’t do enough for the dairy industry. “This isn’t a fabulous bill for dairy producers,” Cardoza said. “We don’t win every battle, (but) America got what it needed.” The bill is one of the lengthier and more technical documents Congress creates. The nearly 1,700 pages included in the legislation went through numerous revisions, and a clerical error has prevented all the sections from becoming law, though that is expected to change fairly soon. “It kept coming back, and coming back, and coming back,” Cardoza said. It also did not receive universal support, and was criticized even by some farmers. But it was immensely popular in Congress, as both the Senate and House overrode Bush’s promised veto. Even with all its complexities and controversy, Cardoza said the bill is crucial for growers as well as the people who depend on government food-assistance programs. “Without the bill, millions of Americans would go hungry,” Cardoza said. To reach John Saiz at the Irrigator, call 892-6187 or e-mail him at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
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