A professor from Cal State-Fresno is educating Canadians about the current status of the new US Farm Bill.

Professor Mechel Paggi, Director for the Institute for Food Agriculture at Cal State-Fresno, was a keynote speaker this week at a Farming For Profit conference in Saskatchewan.

He says it looks like farmers in the States are getting more rational about how their supports are structured.

"We're moving to a system of farmers being partially responsible for their own programs through the increase in crop insurance, where they pay a portion of the program cost, and away from straight government subsidies like the old direct payment program or even the Target Priced Efficiency Payment."

"I think from a Canadian perspective, the US is moving in the right direction, I'm sure people would like to see it move at a much faster rate, but then if we look north we have a little bit of an issue with dairy and poultry programs that you have," he added. "None of us are doing it completely right if we look at it through the eyes of the other."

Paggi adds eventually the US will look to increase the role of crop Insurance and decrease the amount of subsidies to move to a self-insurance program backed by the government.