Ideally, farmers earn a living from the land. In reality, many need government help to make their businesses work.

So North Carolina farmers had plenty to say Monday when 16 members of the Congressional Committee on Agriculture came to town to hear their input as they craft the next Farm Bill. The 46-member committee will hold about 10 such hearings around the country in preparation for approving a new bill in 2007.

The message from Tar Heel farmers: Agriculture needs as much, if not more, federal help than ever.

The Farm Bill, among other things, provides subsidies to growers of many major crops, offers insurance, gives money for conservation, provides rural development money and funds research and marketing efforts. Food assistance for the poor is another major component of the bill.

The 2002 Farm Bill authorized about $170 billion in spending over five years.

"If farmers were getting rich off the Farm Bill, it would seem more people would take a shot at agriculture," Ronnie Burleson, a corn and cotton producer from Richfield, told the committee.

Farmers feel pressure to defend the payments because the new bill will be crafted in the shadow of a growing federal deficit -- and as other countries are demanding cuts to American subsidy programs as part of trade negotiations.

Growers of traditional crops such as cotton, corn and soybeans said they cannot stay in business if the government cuts payments that make up for low market prices. They pointed out that farm money makes up less than 1 percent of the national budget.

"Without a strong farm program, our rural economy and the backbone of our nation will suffer," said Bo Stone, a soybean, corn and livestock producer from Rowland.

Growers of so-called specialty crops -- including produce, livestock, wine grapes, Christmas trees and nursery plants -- have not traditionally received help from the government.

Today, those crops are increasingly important to North Carolina's farm economy because tobacco, once the state's mainstay, has become less profitable. Several growers argued that they should get a share of federal dollars.

From grape growers to watermelon farmers, most said that the government should fund new research into specialty crops and provide insurance to growers of those crops.

Committee members left Fayetteville with dozens of pages of statements from tree farmers, vineyard owners, hog farmers and cotton growers -- to name just a few. The congressmen warned that they cannot please everyone, but they said keeping the nation's farms healthy is key to ensuring a safe and plentiful food supply.

"Farm policy is food policy," said U.S. Rep. Bob Etheridge, a Lillington Democrat who sits on the committee.