[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 23 (Wednesday, March 6, 2002)]
[House]
[Page H691]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     AGRICULTURE BILL IN CONFERENCE

  (Mr. SMITH of Michigan asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. SMITH of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, the conferees on the agricultural 
bill in both the House and the Senate are now meeting to come to an 
agreement on what should the agricultural policy be for the United 
States for the next 5 yrs. The Senate put in provisions in their bill 
that there should be payment limitations that limit how much money a 
farmer can get from price supports. The House, when we brought up my 
amendment, failed by 28 votes to pass such a payment limitation 
amendment.
  I urge my colleagues to join us and call my office or the office of 
the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Bereuter) or the office of the 
gentleman from North Dakota (Mr. Pomeroy), sending a letter to those 
conferees to encourage that we have some payment limitations. There are 
huge farm operations receiving 15, 20, 25, 30, $35 million from 1998 
until 2001. There is logic to having a farm policy that helps most of 
our farmers, the traditional family farms instead giving an extra $2 to 
$3 billion to the huge mega farms.
  I would ask my colleagues to join in this effort to have a good farm 
policy bill with some payment limitations.

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