[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 154 (Friday, September 29, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S14699-S14700]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     TENTH ANNIVERSARY OF FARM AID

  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, this Sunday will mark the 10th 
anniversary of Farm Aid. This remarkable organization, born of the farm 
crisis of the 1980's, has stood on the front lines with America's 
family farmers as farming, ranching and the rural way of life have been 
under attack. Through the vision and effort of founders Willie Nelson, 
Neil Young, and John Mellencamp, millions of dollars have been raised 
to assist farm families beset by disaster, fund legal assistance 
programs for rural citizens and increase national and international 
awareness of the plight of America's family farmer.
  At the same time we are celebrating the achievements of Farm Aid, the 
Republican-controlled Congress is making the deepest cuts to farm 
programs in history--at the same time they are funding tax breaks for 
the wealthiest citizens in the country. Make no mistake, a workable 
farm program cannot be crafted under a mandate to cut $13.4 

[[Page S 14700]]
billion from farm programs. This legislation could result in a farm 
crisis far worse than the one that gave birth to Farm Aid.
  The 1995 farm bill is far too important to be sacrificed this way. 
That's why several of my colleagues have joined me in introducing the 
Farm Security Act, an alternative way to reform farm programs and 
secure a safety net for our farmers. We have developed a commodity 
support proposal that would allow market-based income support, target 
benefits to our smaller producers, and simplify programs. Unlike the 
Republican plan, our plan offers real reform. We didn't just cut 
funding levels by providing less of the same old programs that are 
already too complicated, too rigid and too inadequate.
  The goal of farm programs should be to give America's farmers and 
rural communities a fair shake. Farmers do not want a handout. They do 
not want welfare. They want a program that reflects the principles that 
launched Farm Aid 10 years ago: a helping hand that lets them grow the 
best food and fiber in the world with minimal bureaucracy and with a 
good return on their financial and labor investments. Today, however, 
farm programs have become, in the minds of some people who have never 
milked a cow or plowed a field, a sacrificial lamb that can be offered 
up to fund new defense programs and unreasonable tax breaks.
  For many farm families across the country, the organizations 
supported by Farm Aid have been all that stood between them and 
disaster. The counseling, educational and legal services these groups 
provide have helped farm families navigate some very difficult times. 
In my State of South Dakota, Dakota Rural Action, a Farm Aid-supported 
group, has been an effective voice for family farmers and rural 
communities. Through grassroots organization, educational programming 
on issues from land stewardship to meatpacker concentration, and 
effective policy advocacy, they have brought the voices of farmers to 
the halls of Congress.
  I am deeply concerned about how rural communities across the Nation 
continue to whither as more and more farmers are driven off their land 
and young people find it increasingly difficult to begin farming. Now 
that the majority in Congress has threatened to pull the rug out from 
under our farmers again, Farm Aid and the groups it supports will be 
needed more than ever to provide support and leadership for our rural 
communities.
  The strengths of rural America have always been hard work, fair play 
and commitment to community. I applaud the efforts of Farm Aid to 
facilitate these goals and secure a bright future for America's farmers 
and ranchers. There is a reason why the Midwest is called America's 
Heartland. It is because our farmers, ranchers and rural citizens truly 
represent the heart and soul of America. If we continue to take for 
granted the men and women who live on the land and produce our food, we 
will lose an important piece of our national soul.

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