CMjncwtw Farming, Saturday, December 23, 1995
Farm Agreement Far Cry From Promised Reform
WASHINGTON, D.C.
“While congressional Republi
cans swept into power on cam
paign promises of reform, the
agriculture agreement reached by
Republican budget conferees per
petuates the same old bureaucracy
and even has the audacity to set up
a new welfare system,” said Ice
land Swenson, president of the
National Farmers Union (NFU).
In addition, Swenson said the
agreement would lower producer
incomes, reduce conservation
benefits, and potentially do away
with local control of agriculture
committees.
The agriculture; con
ference committee re
cently announced that
its GOP members bad
reached an agreement
on language that will
govern farm programs
into the 21st century
and beyond. The agree
ment melds Senate
legislation on farm pro
grams with House Agri
culture Committee
Chairman Pat Robert’s,
Kan., Freedom to
Farm Act.
According to Swen
son, NFU vehemently
opposes the conference
committee agreement
because it would;
• Lower farm in
comes by institutional
izing low commodity
prices via low loan
rates. Current loan rates
H.e. $2.58 for wheat,
:jl .89 for com), which
are now set below the
cost of production,
could NEVER be
aised, only lowered.
• Increase nonpaid
(flex) acres from 15 to
30 pci cent
• Put more land into
production by eliminat
: ig set asides and re
ducing funding for the
Conservation Reserve
Program. This will
plunge production agri
culture into a cycle of
lower prices and higher
levels of environmental
degradation.
• Convert farm pro
grams, which were de
vised to stabilize food
supplies and price into a
welfare program by de
coupling farm pay
ments from production.
Farmers could even
plant nothing and still
receive payments.
• Virtually prevent
beginning farmers from
entering production
agriculture by limiting
farm program participa
tion to those who have
participated prior to
1995.
• Raise Commodity
Credit Corporation in
terest rates, thereby re
ducing farm incomes.
• Eliminate the Far
mer Owned Reserve
Program.
• Retain the triple en
tity provision, enabling
the largest producers to
continue' to receive
large benefits. Not only
does this quickly drain
limited funding for farm
programs, it maintains the image
of “rich farmers on the govern
ment dole.”
• Nearly render federal crop in
surance insolvent since producers
can choose not to participate.
Federal crop insurance was only
recently improved in order that
crop insurance be used in place of
ad hoc disaster assistance.
• Eliminate the Emergency
Livestock Feed Assistance Pro
gram.
According to NFU, some of the
more obscure provisions in the
agreement will eventually exact
the greatest impact on American
agriculture.
“It repeals the 1938 and 1949
agricultural acts, which estab
lished our farm policy infrastruc
ture from local U.S. Department
of Agriculture committees to die
Commodity Credit Corporation,”
said Larry Mitchell, head of
NFU’s government relations of
fice. “The elimination of these
structures indicates Congress’ sin
cerity in completely abolishing
farm programs over seven years.
“When Farmers Union produc-
Annual Tree
CHAMBERSBURG (Franklin
Co.) The annual tree seedling
sale of the Franklin County Con
servation District is in progress.
This excellent stock comes
from a state certified nursery. This
year’s seedlings must be pur
chased in bundles of 25 per spe
cies. This insures you of receiving
first quality seedlings since pack
ets will not have to be opened
ers met with President Clinton at
the White House earlier in the
week, they left feeling assured that
the president will veto budget re
conciliation, in part, because of
what it would do to family farm
ers,” said Mitchell.
NFU supports the Family Farm
Empowerment Act, a farm bill al-
Seedling Sale
upon arrival from the nursery.
Seedlings offered this year in
clude (with 2S/bundle prices in
parenthesis): Spanish Scotch Pine
($6.50), white pine ($8.50), Dou
glas fir ($7.25), Colorado blue
spruce ($7), Norway spruce ($8),
Japanese black pine ($7), concolor
fir ($9), Canadian hemlock
($7,75), red maple ($8.50), Chin
ese chestnut ($11), and white ash
tentative introduced in Congress
in October, which would save the
federal government $S billion
over five years by capping loan
amounts. The provisions of this
legislation would also simplify
farm programs, reduce red tape,
and leave federal programs less
vulnerable to abuse.
Under Way
($10.25). Fertilizer briquettes are
also being offered at $3 per 25.
If you are interested in ordering
seedlings, please contact the
Franklin County Conservation
District, 550 Cleveland Avenue,
Chambersburg, or call (717)
264-8074 for an order form.
All orders must be prepaid.
Deadline fra ordering seedlings is
Feb. 2.