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After six years of debate and revision, Congressman Mike Pence is celebrating victory with the 2008 Farm Bill.

Red Gold agriculture director Steve Smith said Pence was instrumental in fixing a loophole in the 2002 Farm Bill that negatively affected some farmers in the Midwest. The bill limited the production of fruits and vegetables on federally subsidized land in Indiana.

“If it had not gotten changed, the Midwest processing industry would have gone out,” Smith said.

Pence met with Indiana agriculture representatives at Red Gold headquarters in Orestes on Tuesday to announce the addition of Farm Flex, a pilot program giving Indiana 9,000 acres of land to plant specialty crops, including fruits and specialty vegetables.

Red Gold specializes in tomatoes and has processing plants in Elwood, Geneva and Alexandria. Smith said the company was able to stay in business despite the 2002 bill but might not have been able to last much longer.

Four generations are involved at Red Gold, and nearly 50 family farms take part in the operation. CEO Brian Reichart said the families hope Farm Flex becomes a permanent part of the Farm Bill so they can stay in business.

“The credit goes to the people who are in this room and the people in this industry who brought this powerful idea of reform forward,” Pence said.

Congress passed the 2008 Farm Bill this month and is now trying to override a veto by President Bush. If veto is overridden, the Farm Bill will give $290 billion to farmers over the next five years.

“I long for the day that as I fly back and forth from Washington D.C. that some day, in some parts of the year, I might see as much red as I see green,” Pence said. “And that will be good for Indiana farmers, good for Indiana and good for America.”