NASHVILLE, Term.—The
1995 farm bill should provide
com growers with more flexi
bility, greater market orienta
tion, and a variety of voluntary
conservation options, accord
ing to delegates attending the
National Com Growers Asso
ciation’s (NCGA) annual Com
Gassic.
For the first time, the voting
body called for a combined
farm program payment base,
giving growers the option of
planting any mix of approved
crops while remaining eligible
for program payments. In addi-
TowSslf Prot>e!led
Kay & Forage Specialist*
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Corn Growers Outline Agenda For Farm Bill
tion, they called for targeted,
flexible conservation programs
to replace annual acreage
reduction progams.
“These policies represent a
look into the future on behalf
of the nation’s com growers,”
said NCGA President Rod
Gangwish, Shelton, Neb.
“More than 250 delegates from
24 states signaled that they are
ready to consider policy
options to move away from
current farm programs for
transitioning to policies that
are more flexible and work
able,” he said.
“We came through some
vigorous debate, but we are
walking out of the door tonight
with a new'policy manual that
the organization can be proud
of,” said Gangwish. “We have
a policy development process
second to none.” After com
pleting an extensive resolu
tions process, delegates,
debated resolutions from mem-''
ber states for several hours on
Sunday and again on Tuesday
afternoon.
In light of federal budget
cutting pressures, com growers
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Corn Talk, Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 18, 1995-Page 23
9
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re-emphasized the importance
of agriculture to the economic
viability of rural communities
and to the U.S. economy.
Delegates also strongly
opposed taking a dispropor
tionate share of federal budget
reductions. Other highlights of
the NCGA’s 1995 farm bill
proposals:
•Provide full flexibility to
allow producers to shift pro
ductive resources in response
to market, agronomic, environ
mental, and conservation con
siderations. They’d like to see
a farm program payment base
created by combining all his
toric plantings and permit par
ticipating producers to plant
any combination of crops on
the whole farm. Deficiency
payments would be based on
historic program crop pay
ments acres and program
yields.
•Create a targeted, flexible
conservation program that
addresses one or more of the
multiple environmental chal
lenges of soil erosion, water
quality, wildl’fe habitat and
allows producers to continue to
make environmentally com
patible improvement under an
approved plan.
•Continue maiketing loans
for feed grains. Provide for the
nine-month loan to be eligible
for an extension ot an addition
al six-months with an interest
rate adjustment.
•Use a targeted conservation
program to meet anticipated
water quality requirements
contained in the proposed
reauthorization of the Clean
Water Act.
•Combine various incentive
programs into a single program
to promote voluntary adoption
of resource conserving man
agement practices.
•Strive for the implementa
tion of additional maiket-based
farm program policies that are
developed to accelerate the
competitiveness of U.S. pro
ducers in domestic and world
markets and provide for an
orderly transition in farm prog
ram policy. Place increased
emphasis on expansion of both
domestic and foreign market
development and utilization of
U.S. bulk and value-added
agricultural products.
•Expand the U.S. govern
ment’s support for agricultural
research in the areas of produc
tion, utilization, nutrition and
other areas.
•Increase educational efforts
relating to income protection
and risk reduction tools
through programs like
USDA’s Option Pilot Pro
gram.