Lawmakers reach tentative deal on expansion of farm programs

WASHINGTON (AP) Lawmakers reached tentative agreement Thursday on an election-year overhaul of farm programs that would boost agricultural spending by about 70 percent. <br> <br> If the deal holds, it would end two months of talks and could be a factor in several important Senate races this fall. <br> <br> ``I&#39;ll tell you who wins, the American farmer,&#39;&#39; said the lead House negotiator Larry Combest, R-Texas. <br> <br> The lawmakers refused to discuss most terms of the deal, saying it is still subject to pending revisions in cost estimates. <br> <br> However, there would be no significant new limits on the payments that individual farms could collect. <br> <br> Despite widespread support in the House and Senate for restrictions on subsidies to big farms, the agreement would keep alive a program that allows grain, cotton and soybean growers to collect unlimited amounts of crop subsidies. <br> <br> ``Any big cotton or rice operator or super-large corn and soybean operator is now going to have absolutely no restraints whatsoever,&#39;&#39; said Ken Cook, president of the Environmental Working Group. <br> <br> The agreement also will include a new subsidy program for dairy farmers and a conservation program that will reward crop farmers for improved environmental practices, lawmakers said. At a cost of $2 billion, the conservation plan would be the largest single new program in the farm bill, said the lead Senate negotiator, Tom Harkin, D-Iowa. <br> <br> ``We have a good agreement,&#39;&#39; Harkin said. <br> <br> Some Republican House members emerged from a Thursday evening briefing by the negotiators to say that some details still needed to be resolved and that the bill could change depending on final cost estimates. <br> <br> ``The whole thing could blow up. I don&#39;t think it will. It depends on those numbers,&#39;&#39; said Rep. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga. <br> <br> The legislation will replace farm, nutrition and land-conservation programs set to expire this fall. The new bill would expire in 2008, a presidential election year. <br> <br> The bill would increase total agriculture spending by about $7.4 billion a year. <br> <br> Negotiators were stalled for weeks over issues that included subsidy rates for corn, soybeans and other crops; White House plans for expanding the food-stamp program; and a proposal to require meat and produce to be labeled with their country of origin. <br> <br> Other disagreements involved limits on payments to individual farms, a new dairy subsidy program and a ban on meatpacker ownership of cattle.