[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 114 (Thursday, August 5, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Page S10422]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mrs. LINCOLN:
  S. 1523. A bill to provide a safety net for agricultural producers 
through improvement of the marketing assistance loan program, expansion 
of land enrollment opportunities under the conservation reserve 
program, and maintenance of opportunities for foreign trade in United 
States agricultural commodities; to the Committee on Agriculture, 
Nutrition, and Forestry.


             ``HELP OUR PRODUCERS EQUITY (HOPE) ACT OF 1999

 Mrs. LINCOLN. Mr. President, I am introducing legislation 
today to provide a ray of hope for our farmers across the country. The 
situation is dire in the agricultural community. Commodity prices are 
at Depression era levels and are projected to remain low through this 
year and beyond. Despite the federal government's efforts over the past 
year to alleviate some the financial strain affecting the agriculture 
industry, a simple fact remains: we no longer have a policy that 
protects farmers when forces beyond their control drive prices down.

  Farmers are the hardest working people I know. They work from dusk to 
dawn on land that has been past down from generation to generation. 
This heritage is in jeopardy of being lost due to depressed commodity 
prices and the lack of an adequate safety net for family farmers.
  The agricultural industry is the backbone of rural communities. I'm 
not just hearing from farmers about this crisis. In the past weeks and 
months, I've talked with bankers, tractor and implement dealers, 
fertilizer distributors, and even the local barber shop. They are all 
concerned about the train wreck that will occur if nothing is done to 
provide an adequate safety net for producers. The bottom line in rural 
America: if farmers are hurting, everyone is hurting.
  It's really ironic watching the news these days. We're too busy 
patting ourselves on the back over the strength of the stock market and 
a potential tax cut that we have all but forgotten those that are not 
benefitting from this record setting economy. This situation is very 
reminiscent of the roaring 20's that our country experienced earlier in 
the century, followed by the Great Depression of the 1930's. I hope and 
pray that it does not take a situation so severe and drastic to 
convince this Congress, and the nation, that our agricultural sector 
and domestic production needs our support.
  The HOPE Act that I am introducing today is built on solid but simple 
principles and takes steps to reestablish a safety net for our nation's 
farmers. To reconstruct the safety we must restore the formula based 
marketing loan structure that existed prior to the 1996 Farm Bill. Loan 
rates were arbitrarily capped in 1996 and I feel that it is imperative 
to return this assistance loan back into a formula based, market-
oriented program. In doing so, loan rates would more accurately reflect 
market trends and provide an adequate price floor for producers. No 
business in America can survive selling their products at levels below 
cost of production. With Depression era prices, that is the situation 
our farmers currently face. An adequate safety net must be restored. 
This legislation also extends the loan term by up to six months, 
allowing farmers more time to market their crops at the most 
advantageous price.
  Secondly, my legislation would require the President to fully explain 
the benefits and costs of existing food sanctions. It does not make 
sense to force Cuba to purchase their rice from Asia when the United 
States is only 90 miles away. Without access to foreign markets, we 
cannot expect the agricultural community to survive. We cannot let our 
foreign policy objectives cloud common sense. These sanctions rarely 
impose significant hardship on the dictators against whom they are 
targeted. The unfortunate victims are the innocent citizens of these 
foreign lands and the U.S. producers who lose valuable markets when 
these restrictions are put into place. We require cost/benefit analysis 
from almost all sections for our government regulators. We should do no 
less in our agricultural trade arena.
  I am also very committed to preserving our environment. The 
Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and the Wetlands Reserve 
Program(WRP) are responsible for taking a great number of erodible 
acres out of production. Unfortunately, these programs are victims of 
their own success because they are near the maximum enrollment levels 
allowed by current law. I propose to expand these programs so that even 
more marginal acreage is eligible for participation.
  I urge my colleagues to act quickly and address the growing crisis in 
the agriculture community. Everyone of us enjoys the safest, most 
abundant, and most affordable food supply in the world. Unfortunately, 
we often take that for granted in this nation. The consequences of 
doing nothing are far too great. This safe and abundant supply will not 
be there for this Nation or the world if we do not support our family 
farmers at this critical time.
                                 ______