[Budget of the United States Government]
[VI. Investing in the Common Good: Program Performance in Federal Functions]
[17. Agriculture]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


 
                             17. AGRICULTURE

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                            Table 17-1.  FEDERAL RESOURCES IN SUPPORT OF AGRICULTURE                            
                                            (In millions of dollars)                                            
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                                                                               Estimate                         
               Function 350                   1997   -----------------------------------------------------------
                                             Actual     1998      1999      2000      2001      2002      2003  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Spending:                                                                                                       
  Discretionary Budget Authority..........     4,225     4,310     4,074     3,949     3,883     3,862     3,780
  Mandatory Outlays:                                                                                            
    Existing law..........................     4,960     6,391     6,973     6,765     5,440     5,425     5,649
    Proposed legislation..................  ........  ........      -155      -299      -170      -161      -163
Credit Activity:                                                                                                
  Direct loan disbursements...............     6,402     7,450     8,651     8,505     7,738     7,177     6,856
  Guaranteed loans........................     3,961     7,255     6,895     6,894     6,894     6,894     6,894
Tax Expenditures:                                                                                               
  Existing law............................       660       680       730       750       760       750       765
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  ----------------------------------------------------------------------
  Since early in the Nation's history, the Federal Government has helped 
increase U.S. agricultural productivity. Agriculture Department (USDA) 
programs focus to a large extent on ensuring that markets function 
fairly and that farmers do not face unreasonable risk. Federal programs 
disseminate economic and agronomic information, ensure the integrity of 
crops, inspect the safety of meat and poultry, and help farmers face 
risks from weather and variable export conditions. The results are found 
in the public welfare that Americans enjoy from an abundant, safe, and 
inexpensive food supply, free of severe commodity market dislocations.

Conditions on the Farm

  Agriculture and its related activities account for 16 percent of the 
Gross Domestic Product. With strong demand and record market prices for 
several crops in 1996, gross crop cash receipts exceeded $109 billion in 
1996, a new record, and up nearly $10 billion from 1995. Net cash income 
also set a record in 1996 at $60 billion. Forecasts for 1997 put net 
cash income down $5 billion from the record level, but still within the 
last five year's average. Farmers will earn slightly less from 1997 crop 
sales due to lower feed grain prices. Livestock receipts in 1997 will 
increase from the $93 billion of 1996; higher beef cattle prices, the 
result of reductions in the beef herd, will be the most important 
influence. After three years of steady declines in cattle and calf 
receipts, this year will mark the turnaround point.
  Farm assets, debt, and equity continue to rise. Farm sector business 
assets rose six percent in value in 1996, to $1 trillion. Farm asset 
values will grow another five percent in 1997, while farm real estate 
values will rise for the tenth straight year. Farm business debt will 
rise $5 billion in 1997, the highest level since 1986, but growing debt 
shows few signs of precipitating a repeat of the widespread financial 
stress in the farm sector of the 1980s.
  Exports are key to future farm income. The Nation now exports 30 
percent of its farm production, and agriculture produces the greatest 
balance of payments surplus, for its share of national income, of any 
economic sector. Agricultural exports reached a record $60 billion in 
1996. Lower world market prices and bulk export volume will reduce 
exports by an estimated $3 billion in 1997 but, in 1998, exports will 
grow by a projected $2 billion, to $59 billion. Pacific Asia, including 
Japan, is the most

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important region for U.S. farm exports, accounting for 42 percent of 
total U.S. export sales in 1996. Consequently, the financial turmoil in 
certain Asian countries could affect U.S. exports.

The 1996 Farm Bill

  Known officially as the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act 
(FAIR) of 1996, the Farm Bill was a milestone in U.S. agricultural 
policy. The bill, effective through 2002, fundamentally redesigns 
Federal income support and supply management programs for producers of 
wheat, corn, grain sorghum, barley, oats, rice, and cotton. It expands 
the market-oriented policies of the previous two major farm bills, which 
have gradually reduced the Federal influence in the agricultural sector.
  Under previous laws dating to the 1930s, farmers who reduced plantings 
when prices were low could get income support payments, but farmers had 
to plant specific crops in order to receive support payments. Even when 
market signals might have suggested planting a different crop, farmers 
had limited flexibility to do so. By contrast, the 1996 Farm Bill 
eliminated most such restrictions and, instead, provides fixed, but 
declining payments to eligible farmers through 2002, regardless of 
market prices or production volume. Thus, the law ``decouples'' Federal 
income support from planting decisions and market prices. Not 
surprisingly, the law has brought significant changes in cropped acreage 
in response to market signals. In 1997, wheat acreage fell by seven 
percent, or almost five million acres, from the previous year, while 
soybean acreage rose by 10 percent, or almost seven million acres.

Federal Programs

  USDA seeks to enhance the quality of life for the American people by 
supporting production agriculture; ensuring a safe, affordable, 
nutritious, and accessible food supply; caring for agricultural, forest, 
and range lands; supporting sound development of rural communities; 
providing economic opportunities for farm and rural residents; expanding 
global markets for agricultural and forest products and services; and 
working to reduce hunger in America and throughout the world. (Some of 
these missions fall within other budget functions and, thus, are 
described in other chapters.)
  Farming is a risky business. Farmers not only face the normal vagaries 
of supply and demand, but also uncontrollable risk from Mother Nature. 
Federal programs are designed to accomplish two key economic goals: (1) 
enhance the economic safety net for farmers and ranchers; and (2) open, 
expand, and maintain global market opportunities for agricultural 
producers.
  The Government mitigates risk through a variety of programs:

  Farm Commodity Programs: Since Federal payments are now fixed, farm 
income could fluctuate more from year to year due to supply and demand 
changes. Farmers will need to rely more on marketing alternatives. To 
better use Federal assistance to protect against risk and stabilize farm 
income, producers should set aside funds from, or otherwise develop 
strategies to utilize, the income-support payments, allocating savings 
from years of high income for use when income falls. (See Chart 17-1 for 
the estimated increased Federal income-support payments due to the 1996 
Farm Bill.) The Federal Government, however, continues to provide other 
safety-net protections, such as the marketing assistance loans that 
guarantee a minimum price for major commodities.
  Insurance: USDA helps farmers manage their risks by providing 
subsidized crop insurance, delivered through the private sector. Farmers 
pay no premiums for coverage against catastrophic production losses, and 
the Government subsidizes their premiums for additional coverage. Over 
the past three years, an average 80 percent of eligible acres have been 
insured, with an average gain of $0.10 for every $1 in insurance 
premiums--down from the historical average of $0.40 loss for every $1 in 
premium. Crop insurance costs the Federal Government about $1.4 billion 
a year, including USDA payments to private companies for costs tied to 
administering Federal crop insurance. Since the Farm Bill ended major 
elements of USDA's traditional price and income support programs, 
producers now bear most of the price risk. In 1997, USDA expanded 
several insurance products that mitigate ``reve-

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nue risk''--price and production risk combined. These ``revenue 
insurance pilots'' showed that farmers generally want these types of 
products, and USDA will continue to expand their application and 
availability.

  Trade: The trade surplus for U.S. agriculture has grown faster in 
recent decades than for any other civilian sector of the economy, and 
USDA's international programs helped to shape that growth. The Foreign 
Agriculture Service's efforts to negotiate, implement, and enforce trade 
agreements have played a large role in creating a strong market for 
exports.
  In 1999, USDA will:
   take action to overcome 660, or 17 percent, more trade 
          barriers than in 1998;
   help 5,000, or 25 percent, more U.S. companies in U.S. 
          agricultural export sales; and
   help in 1,545, or 13 percent, more projects to build U.S. 
          export markets in developing countries.
  USDA spends about $750 million a year on export activities, including 
subsidies to U.S. firms facing unfairly-subsidized overseas competitors, 
and loan guarantees to foreign buyers of U.S. farm products. USDA also 
helps firms overcome technical requirements, trade laws, and customs 
that often discourage the smaller, less experienced ones from taking 
advantage of export opportunities. USDA will help less experienced firms 
develop their export capacity by increasing the number of outreach 
events.
  In 1999, USDA will:
   increase the number of its trade shows by 13 percent, to 400; 
          and
   increase the number of firms that the Market Assistance 
          Program (MAP) supports in establishing marketing and 
          distribution channels by eight percent, to 1,700 firms.
  In addition, USDA shares some of the risk when firms or trade 
organizations experiment in the export market. USDA helps educate firms 
about the requirements and

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process of developing an overseas market. By participating in the MAP or 
USDA-organized trade shows, firms can more easily export different 
products to new locations on their own.
  The programs have helped U.S. firms, especially smaller-sized ones, 
export more aggressively, and high-value products now make up a growing 
share of export value (see Chart 17-2). Small and medium-sized firm 
recipients (those with annual sales of under $1 million) now represent 
84 percent of the MAP-branded promotion spending, up from 70 percent in 
1996, and USDA expects to raise that figure to 100 percent by 1999.

  Agricultural Research: The Federal Government spends over $1.5 billion 
a year to support agricultural research and enhance U.S. and global 
agricultural productivity. The average annual return to publicly-funded 
agricultural research exceeds 35 percent, according to recent academic 
estimates.
  The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) is USDA's in-house research 
agency, addressing a broad range of food, farm, and environmental 
issues. It puts a high priority on transferring its research findings to 
the private sector.
   In 1999, ARS expects to submit 60 new patent applications, 
          participate in 85 new Cooperative Research and Development 
          Agreements, license 25 new products, and develop 70 new plant 
          varieties to release to industry for further development and 
          marketing.
  The Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service 
provides grants for agricultural, food, and environmental research; 
higher education; and extension activities. The National Research 
Initiative competitive research grant program, launched in 1990 on the 
recommendation of the National Research Council, works to improve the 
quality and increase the quantity of USDA's and the private sector's 
farm, food, and environmental research. 



[[Page 185]]

  Economic Research and Statistics: The Federal Government spends about 
$160 million to improve U.S. agricultural competitiveness by reporting 
and analyzing economic information. The Economic Research Service 
provides economic and other social science information and analysis for 
decision-making on agriculture, food, natural resources, and rural 
America. The National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) develops 
estimates of production, supply, price, and other aspects of the farm 
economy.
   In 1999, NASS will include over 95 percent of national 
          agricultural production in its annual commodities program, up 
          from 92 percent in 1997.

  Inspection and Market Regulation: The Government spends a half-billion 
dollars a year to secure U.S. cropland from pests and diseases and make 
U.S. crops more marketable. In addition, USDA's Food Safety and 
Inspection Service ensures that U.S. meat and poultry do not threaten 
consumers' health. The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service 
(APHIS) inspects agricultural products that enter the country; controls 
and eradicates diseases and infestations; helps control damage to 
livestock and crops from animals; and monitors plant and animal health 
and welfare. The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) and the Grain 
Inspection, Packers, and Stockyards Administration help market U.S. farm 
products in domestic and global markets, ensure fair trading practices, 
and promote a competitive, efficient marketplace.
  In 1999, APHIS will:
   make about 48 million inspections of airline passengers, 
          aircraft, commercial vessels, trucks, and rail cars to prevent 
          the entry of illegal plants and animals that could endanger 
          U.S. agriculture, a slight increase over estimated 1998 
          levels.
   clear most international air passengers through its 
          inspection process in 30 minutes or less, an estimated 20-
          percent improvement over 1997 rates.
   clear most passengers crossing U.S. land borders in non-peak 
          traffic periods in 20 minutes or less on the northern border, 
          and 30 minutes or less on the southern border.
  In 1999, the AMS Pesticide Data Program will:
   initiate a microbiological surveillance program on domestic 
          and imported fruits and vegetables as part of the President's 
          Food Safety Initiative.
   perform about 55,000 analyses on 14 different commodities, 
          collecting 9,200 samples to measure pesticide residues, an 
          increase from the estimated 1998 activities of 51,000 
          analyses, 13 commodities, and 8,900 samples.

  Conservation: The 1996 Farm Bill is the most conservation-oriented 
farm bill in history, enabling USDA to provide incentives to farmers to 
protect the natural resource base of U.S. agriculture. Farmers can now 
use crop rotations, which earlier price support programs had severely 
limited. Also, the bill created several new programs. The Environmental 
Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), with $200 million in annual spending 
(and another $100 million proposed for 1999) provides cost-share and 
incentive payments to encourage farmers to adopt new and improved 
farming practices or technology, and it reduces the environmental impact 
of livestock operations. Farmers may use different nutrient management 
or pest protection approaches, with USDA offering financial assistance 
to offset some of the risk. The Conservation Farm Option program helps 
landowners adopt innovative approaches to improving environmental 
quality; groups of farmers may submit proposals to create comprehensive 
conservation farm plans, with a host of different land use and funding 
alternatives.
  USDA's conservation programs give technical and financial help to 
farmers and communities. They include the Conservation and Wetlands 
Reserve Programs, which remove land from farm uses; and the Conservation 
Operations program, which provides technical assistance.
  In 1999, USDA will:
   increase the number of acres enrolled each year for riparian 
          buffers and filter strips to 3.76 million, from an estimated 
          3.36 million acres in 1998; and

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   increase the acreage of restored wetlands to 1.34 million 
          acres, from an estimated 1.2 million acres in 1998.
  For more information on conservation, and USDA's investments in public 
land management, see Chapter 16, ``Natural Resources and Environment.'' 
USDA programs also help to maintain vital rural communities, as 
described in Chapter 20, ``Community and Regional Development.''

  Agricultural Credit: USDA provides about $600 million a year in direct 
loans and over $2.5 billion in guaranteed loans for farm operating and 
ownership. Direct loans, which carry interest rates at or below those on 
Treasury securities, generally go to beginning or socially disadvantaged 
farmers who cannot secure private credit.
  In 1999, USDA will:
   increase the proportion of loans made to beginning and 
          socially-disadvantaged farmers to 14.4 percent, from an 
          estimated 12.6 percent in 1998 and nine percent in 1996; and
   reduce the delinquency rate on farm loans to 17 percent, from 
          an estimated 18 percent in 1998 and 20 percent in 1996.
   The Farm Credit System and ``Farmer Mac''--both Government-Sponsored 
Enterprises--enhance the supply of farm credit through ties to national 
and global credit markets. The Farm Credit System (which lends directly 
to farmers) has recovered strongly from its financial problems of the 
1980s, in part through Federal help. Farmer Mac increases the liquidity 
of commercial banks and the Farm Credit System by purchasing 
agricultural loans. In 1996, Congress gave the institution authority to 
pool loans as well as more years to attain required capital standards, 
which it has largely achieved already.

  Personnel, Infrastructure, and the Regulatory Burden: USDA administers 
its many farm programs through 2,500 county offices with over 17,000 
staff. The Farm Bill significantly cut USDA's workload, prompting the 
department to re-examine its staff-intensive field office-based 
infrastructure. In 1998, USDA will: (1) conduct a study to find ways to 
operate more efficiently; (2) continue an Administration initiative to 
scrap duplicative and unnecessary regulations and paperwork; and (3) 
review and upgrade its computer systems to streamline its collection of 
information from farmers and better disseminate information across USDA 
agencies.
  In 1999, USDA will:
   merge the headquarters and State office administrative 
          support staffs for its field office agencies (Farm Services 
          Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Rural 
          Development) to provide more efficient and coordinated support 
          services.