The farm bill: Yogurt and sausage

Yogurt carton: In the time it takes to eat this yogurt, ten acres of U.S. farmland will be lost to development.

Ag journalists these days are hearing from all corners of society on what policies should gain fashion in the new farm bill. Just about every day I hear from one advocacy group or another.

Last week, I got a note from Stonyfield Farm, a maker of organic yogurt, which is touting farmland protection on the top of its yogurt carton. Stonyfield is partnering with Environmental Defense in lobbying Congress and the media about farm bill policies that "help preserve open spaces and provide a healthier environment."

In another e-mail, I learn that Environmental Defense Farm Policy Campaign Director Scott Faber has launched a blog called "The Ruminant" to criticize the current farm bill direction.

Other messages in my e-mail box this week:

* The Cato Institute is launching a new "web resource," advocating the downsizing of USDA, which it says is beholden to "large agribusiness firms," and draining the federal budget.

* Ryan Alexander, president of Taxpayers for Common Sense, says that Congress is ignoring "a golden opportunity to update our farm policies," citing "outdated, wasteful programs."

* The American Farmland Trust claims that the House Agriculture Committee is "failing miserably in the farm bill debate."

* John Bianchi and Maria Corredor of Goodman Media International, Inc., argue on behalf of "forty consumer, environmental, farmer and animal welfare groups" who are critical of a farm bill provision that "wipes out critical state and local authority to protect food safety, the environment, and humane animal treatment."

This is just one week's slice of the sausage making that is the farm bill debate.

And, things are just getting started, according to a recent Agriculture Online story, House subcommittee approves commodity title extension.

But, reading this story don't you get the feeling that the established forces in agriculture are still quite comfortably holding sway in Washington? It will be interesting to see if the new faces from outside of ag will gain much of anything from all their lobbying efforts.

Having followed these policy debates a few times already, something tells me it's going to be business as usual once the digital ink stops flowing and the sausage is in its skin.