The National Cotton Council (NCC) emphasizes to lawmakers and USDA the need for the current farm law to remain unaltered through its 2007 duration, and that payment limits should not be further tightened.

Craig Brown, NCC vice president of producer affairs, says, “Limited budget resources and greater competition for funding among commodity, conservation and nutrition programs will pose a challenge.

“There will be pressure to include specialty crops, and legislation will be influenced by the WTO Doha agreement and the Brazil-WTO cotton case.

“The industry also is concerned with attempts to alter the structure of the cotton program and to impose more restrictive spending caps,” Brown says.