[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 44 (Wednesday, April 20, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[Congressional Record: April 20, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
CONTINUATION OF THE CONSERVATION RESERVE PROGRAM
(Mr. BARRETT of Nebraska asked and was given permission to address
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
Mr. BARRETT of Nebraska. Mr. Speaker, I am greatly disturbed by the
administration's USDA reorganization plan to release farm ground
enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program, or CRP. This program is
vital to helping farmers maintain the stewardship of the land, by
saving 690 million tons of soil from erosion each year.
The CRP holds more than 36 million acres of highly erodible land. My
district itself contains nearly 1 million of those acres.
Unleashing this ground into production would be devastating to the
environment, because it is susceptible to erosion. It would also
devastate the market system because 10 million idle wheat acres, and 4
million idle corn acres would be unleashed onto the market place.
Mr. Speaker, I have cosponsored Mr. Bereuter's bill H.R. 3894. The
bill extends the CRP for 10 years. I urge my colleagues to lend their
support to continuing the CRP.
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