politics

WASHINGTON - Minnesota's senators told Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns Wednesday that they're worried there isn't enough aid for farmers in President Bush's farm-bill proposal.

It was their first chance to question the secretary since Bush presented his budget this week, calling for a reduction in farm spending of $18 billion over five years.

Members of the Senate Agriculture Committee, including Republican Sen. Norm Coleman and Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar, offered a mixed bag of criticisms. But Johanns called the proposed farm bill equitable and market-based. He also said the administration's proposal would provide a more stable safety net .

Some senators argued that the proposal doesn't provide enough help for farmers during bad crop years and times of disaster.

"My major concern is that it just doesn't provide a good enough safety net for our farmers in Minnesota," Klobuchar said after the hearing.

During the hearing, she asked Johanns why there isn't permanent disaster relief for farmers. Referring to flooding in 2005 and drought in 2006, she said, "Minnesota farmers have been hit with heavy losses for two consecutive years," totaling $700 million.

Klobuchar and Coleman are sponsors of the 2007 Emergency Farm Relief Act. It would provide $4.4 billion in emergency money for "farmers and ranchers who have suffered weather-related crop production shortfalls, quality losses and damage to livestock feed supplies."

Coleman said he is concerned with a proposed change to a commodity program that would base some payments to farmers on U.S. crop yields instead of prices. He wants to make sure that Congress protects farmers who have low yields.

He also said he thinks federal research programs should examine ways to turn sugar beets into ethanol.

Brady Averill is a correspondent in the Star Tribune Washington Bureau.

Brady Averill • baverill@ startribune.com