[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 16 (Tuesday, February 6, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S890-S891]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             THE FARM BILL

  Mr. BURNS. Mr. President, I want to talk a little bit about the 
problem before us; that is, trying to get a farm bill through this 
Congress. We are not very far away, even though the snowflakes are 
flying around us in the northern part of the hemisphere, it will be 
soon that we will see the combines starting to roll in Texas. We are 
just finishing planting our spring wheat in Montana when the combines 
start in Texas. We still do not have a farm bill or a farm policy.
  A lot more people live in urban areas than farm, but it is pretty 
important to us in this country because the first obligation of any 
society is to feed itself. I have always made the speech that the 
second thing we do every day is eat. I do not know the first thing you 
do. You have a lot of options the first thing in the morning, but the 
second thing is you eat. We do a pretty good job of it in this country, 
but the main challenge for all of us, both in Government and in our 
commodity groups that represent the livestock industry or the grain 
industry or the fresh vegetable industry or the nut industry or the 
fruits and vegetables that are grown in this great and plentiful Nation 
is to make sure that we get at least a fair share of the consumer 
dollar back on the land.

  Would it surprise you to know that only 3 cents out of every consumer 
dollar spent for food is all that gets back to the farmer? We are to 
the point where we cannot hardly make it on 3 cents out of every 
dollar. There is a little imbalance here--$3.46 a pound for Wheaties in 
the grocery store, and up until this year we were having a hard time 
getting $3.46 for a bushel of wheat of which there is 60 pounds. I have 
a hard time relating $5 T-bone steaks to $60 fat cattle. Maybe I am in 
the wrong business, or I understand the other business, but it is about 
time our processors, purveyors, our distributors, and our retailers 
understand that we have to give something back to the man who produces 
the raw product.
  There are a lot of automobiles and a lot of boats and a lot of 
vacations that are paid for because we only expend about 16 percent of 
our expendable income on food in our homes to feed this society. We are 
truly a blessed Nation, but we still need policy for food and fiber in 
this country. And, of course, with 1 farmer feeding 120 other folks 
both in this country and abroad, it makes it a very large industry. 
This bill changes the direction and the culture of farm programs.
  In the Freedom to Farm Act, yes, there are some areas I would like to 
change. Nobody ever gets a perfect bill. But nonetheless, we have to 
take a look at it and see what it really does, if it gives our business 
people who live on our farms and ranches the flexibility to operate 
their farms and ranches the way they think they should and also at a 
profitable level.
  I know if I had to go back to agriculture, where I was raised--on 160 
acres of 2 parts rock and and 1 part dirt in northwest Missouri--I 
probably could not make a living now, but I know some people are trying 
to and it is a struggle. This particular bill helps out those folks. It 
moves us into a marketing mode and takes us away from a program that is 
dependent on the Government. We are not going to take the full step all 
at once. And to my critics who say this does not go far enough to 
eliminate guaranteed subsidies to agriculture, I say we have to take it 
maybe one step at a time. At least let us change the structure. Let us 
change the structure in which our farmers and ranches can operate and 
still provide food and fiber for this Nation.
  Foreign market development is a good investment just like education 
is a good investment. As for ARS, the Agriculture Research Service, I 
happen to think we must never stop doing research in food production. 
Maybe a lot of folks do not know this either, but for the first time in 
the history of agriculture production in this country yields of wheat 
are declining just a little bit. Why? Because we do not have the plant 
breeders and the scientists 

[[Page S891]]
developing strains that are disease resistant. We have to continue to 
do that in order to keep our production up. The same thing is true in 
our corn, soybeans, barley, and some other feedgrains. So we need to 
make that investment in the Agriculture Research Service.
  The Export Enhancement Program, I am not a great fan of that, but it 
is retained in this bill. That is to ward off unfair competition in the 
international market. I think those dollars ought to go directly to the 
people who produce the grain, not the people who handle the grain or 
the big grain companies. It should get back to the farmer some way or 
other.

  So, no, it is not a perfect bill. On the conservation end of it, the 
CRP is very successful, taking marginal land out of production, the 
development of wetlands. I know in Montana our bird population, our 
wildlife numbers have increased since CRP, the Conservation Reserve 
Program, has been put into effect. That is very good in taking some 
marginal land out of production that should never have been in 
production in the first place. We have noticed that. It has great 
support.
  So here is a program that is supported by agriculture. Farmers are 
telling me, ``Let's go with it.'' It sends us in a new direction. But 
we are also talking about a time when agriculture commodities are doing 
very well with the exception of the cattle business. And there is some 
room for development here in our part of the country.
  So I urge a ``yes'' on this cloture vote. Let us proceed with this 
bill and debate it like it should be debated and pass those programs 
that can be passed, but let us at least give agriculture a program to 
which we can pin our future.
  Mr. President, I thank the Chair. I yield the floor.
  Mr. DOLE addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority leader.
  Mr. DOLE. We are about to get an agreement on the cloture vote here.

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