Yesterday, Representatives McGovern, DeLauro, Woolsey, Lee and Solis delivered a letter to Agriculture Committee Chairman Colin Peterson calling for permanent increases in the nutrition title in the Farm Bill. 153 Democrats signed the letter.

Go here to view the letter.

The Hill has also covered the issue.

House liberals are threatening to withhold their support of a carefully negotiated farm bill if it doesn’t make hikes in anti-hunger programs permanent.

and

It could make negotiators’ work trickier, as the Bush administration has already threatened to veto the bill because of the tax change House negotiators used to fund the increase in anti-hunger programs sought by liberals. Moving the farm bill this year is a top priority for Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who wants to protect vulnerable Democrats who represent rural and more conservative districts.

Read the whole thing here.

Hell-ooo Washing-tuuuuuuuuun!

Give it up m-f's (Mulch friends) for yesterday's kickin' laugh confirmation hearing for agriculture secretary nominee Ed Schafer of North Dakota!

What a crazy testify-in par-tay it turned out to be!

You got your weather gags. Your madcap food props. (Peanuts in North Dakota? Are you out of your Mulcher-friendin' mind?!?) And that whole Jesse Ventura t-shirt slogan thing still kills:

Showing his support for the nominee, Dorgan told the committee he had only known Shafer to back down from one challenge in his life, when Minnesota voters elected former professional wrestler Jesse Ventura as governor and began wearing T-shirts with the slogan, “My governor can beat up your governor.”

Shafer seemed understandably nervous, Dorgan said, when some North Dakotans made shirts that read “Our governor says prove it.”

You want funny? I say, you want funny? Well they got it, all up in that Senate agriculture committee. ("Humor Part of the Process", The Jamestown Sun, Jan. 25).

We've put together another update of editorial pages nationwide criticizing the Farm Bill that passed out of the Senate for its lack of reform. You can find it here.

For my money, Environmental Defense has been the key player in this year's farm bill debate, combining its research, advocacy in Washington and in the field, coalition-building, and passion to great effect at every phase of the process. Here's yet another example of why--a great op-ed from Glenda Neff, EDF's Northeast farm policy coordinator, in Lancaster Farming.

The House and Senate both had the chance to reform our farm safety net to benefit more farmers, free up funding for other priority programs, and ensure that the president will sign the final bill, but so far they’ve missed the opportunity.

Farmers and taxpayers in Pennsylvania and the Northeast who want to see our farms thriving, water and soil quality protected, and local healthy foods available in our schools and markets should not be satisfied with the versions of the farm bill that the House and Senate have passed. Even with funding increases for conservation programs such as the Environmental Quality Incentives Program and Farmland Protection, more than half of eligible applicants will continue to be rejected because of a lack of funding. Key conservation programs will continue to be severely underfunded, even though most citizens want their tax dollars to support farmers who are protecting our watersheds and improving their practices as stewards of the land.

From the heart of California farm country, "Final chance to end subsidies for millionaires:
Conference committee gives Pelosi, Reid a last opportunity to cut pork in farm bill":

The next time House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Leader Harry Reid talk about ending poverty, stopping giveaways for wealthy corporations and finding bipartisan solutions, remember their work on the 2007 farm bill.

Before adjourning for the holidays, the Senate endorsed a $286 billion farm bill that is only slightly less wasteful and indefensible than the porkfest the House passed earlier in the year.

The editorial recounts the defeat of subsidy and income limit reforms and tips a hat to California senate Democrats Feinstein and Boxer for supporting the failed efforts after a super-majority margin of 60 was imposed to block change.

No, it's not too late to dramatically improve the dismal offerings that have emerged from the House and Senate, says the Bee:

As a Field Poll revealed last month, only 1 out of 5 Californians surveyed has a favorable opinion of Congress. Voters are frustrated that lawmakers and the White House can't find common ground on popular causes.

Reforming the farm bill should be one area where Democrats and Republicans should be able to agree. The reform coalition includes fiscal hawks, environmentalists, small farmers, supporters of fair trade and more than 300 editorial boards across the country.

All want a bill that rewards innovation, resource protection and a more healthful U.S. diet, while limiting the waste and abuse of past farm bills.

Pelosi and Reid could still move the farm bill in this direction. But to do so, they will have to show more courage than they did in 2007.