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White House press secretary Ari Fleischer doesnt like the U.S. Senates farm bill because, he said, the Senate is focusing on only one segment of America Fleischer really spread the horse manure last Thursday. Fact is, the Senate is working on the farm bill because its time to work on farm legislation. The suggestion that the Senates focus on farmers is at the expense of other Americans is balderdash. Fleischer added: At a time when all Americans need help, why is the Senate abandoning all Americans and concentrating on a farm bill? More horse manure from an administration that just rammed through Congress a multi-billion dollar bailout for the airlines. This from a White House that wants an economic stimulus package festooned with astonishing tax rebates, refunds and other goodies for the nations biggest corporations, but would have little for Americans who lose their jobs in a recession. So when Fleischer expresses concern about all Americans, it rings phony. And if Fleischers remarks werent bad enough, it appears Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman is anything but an advocate for farmers. Her understanding of Midwest farming is incomplete at best. Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., said last week she was hapless when it came to knowledge of agriculture on the northern Great Plains. The proposed Senate farm bill is good legislation. Its not perfect; no farm bill ever is. But it does offer farmers some economic stability and a reasonable safety net at a time when global markets have depressed commodity prices to historic lows. Additionally, the new farm bill replaces the worst of the 1996 Freedom to Farm law (which expires in October 2002) with a so-called counter-cyclical support system. When the market is low, farmers can get subsidies; when the market is high, farmers can sell their grains, beans, corn, etc. at the higher market prices. But what Fleischer, Veneman and the administration dont seem to grasp is that agriculture the production of food is different from other sectors of the economy. A dispersed and diversified farming sector is a matter of national security. The more people farm families on the land, the better for the long-term vitality of rural America. Concentration of agriculture in fewer and fewer hands was never a good idea, and it is especially risky as the nation develops new protocols for homeland security. There are indications the president will sign a $170 billion farm bill if it clears Congress. Before that happens, the House version and the Senate bill must be reconciled in conference committee. But even before that, competing Senate bills Democratic and Republican proposals have to find common ground. At this point, however, Republicans are threatening to filibuster the Democratic bill. For the northern Great Plains, the Democratic version in the Senate is the best option. For the nations farmers, a quick passage of a new farm bill is essential to the stability of farmers and farm communities. Meanwhile, someone should take Fleischer and Veneman out behind the barn and give them a lesson in the economics of production agriculture.