ORESTES — Charlotte Ousley wants to plant tomatoes. Thanks to the latest farm bill and the help of U.S. Rep. Mike Pence, R-2nd District, she’ll finally get the freedom to farm as she pleases.

A 2002 Farm Bill jeopardized Ousley’s ability to grow the tomatoes her family had farmed for 30 years by regulating the use of land and restricting what she could plant.

According to Ousley, the 2002 Farm Bill stipulated that she could no longer plant her tomatoes on land slated for base acreage. Base acreage was reserved for the production of corn and wheat as government program crops in 1996. In 2002, soy beans were added as program crops.

Ousley and hundreds of growers across the Midwest were left with few acres on which to plant tomatoes while tomato processors like Red Gold struggled to meet demands with a limited supply of tomatoes.

On Tuesday, Red Gold welcomed Pence to its offices in Orestes to thank him for his work regarding Farm Flex, a component of the 2007 Farm Bill that allows people like Ousley to plant fruit and vegetables on certain acreage otherwise slated for contract crop production.

Pence said he faced a tough fight in Washington, D.C., when he tried to get Farm Flex through Congress. Growers in the West and Southeast who produce specialty fruits and vegetables did not want the competition. “They didn’t want to see the rich terrain of Indiana become a competitive force.”

In the six years since the 2002 Farm Bill was passed, Red Gold agriculture spokesman Steve Smith said the company has relied on creative growers in order to meet demand. “We have some very creative growers that were able to utilize the exceptions and loop holes in that bill. We were fortunate that we were able to get by for the past five years.”

According to Austin, “In the Midwest, approximately 98.5 percent of crop land became unavailable for production of tomatoes and other fruits and vegetables.”

Pence spoke in the employee break room of Red Gold on Tuesday, addressing the efforts local growers and crop producers took to ensure the passage of the Farm Flex program. “The success of Farm Flex that I first introduced five years ago is a testament to the principle that all the best American ideas come from America, not Washington, D.C.”

Steve Austin, of Red Gold, said Pence and other representatives made the difference for Indiana agriculture. “They really went to the mat for Hoosier families.”

The 2002 Farm Bill, was not meant to penalize Midwestern growers but Pence said the action was typical of Washington politics. “Washington, D.C., is the world capital of unintended consequences.”

He knew the bill needed to be changed. “Indiana is agriculture,” Pence said.

Ousley will begin planting 190 acres of tomatoes next May and said she would not have the opportunity if it weren’t for the efforts of government representatives. “I had a door closed on me and all the senators and congressmen opened a window.”