[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 43 (Wednesday, April 13, 2005)]
[House]
[Pages H1946-H1947]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 TOUGH ISSUES FACING LOUISIANA FARMERS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Boustany) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of the farming 
community of southwest Louisiana. During the March district work 
period, I held community meetings in all eight parishes of my district 
to discuss issues facing my constituents. At each meeting, farmers and 
their families filled the rooms to ask for help.
  Farming in Louisiana is not just a job for these men and women, Mr. 
Speaker. They love the land that they work, and they want to ensure 
that their livelihood is preserved for generations to come, but they 
are struggling to survive. Unless Congress can come to their aid, these 
farmers may not be in business by the end of the year.
  Let me give some examples. Steve Broussard is a banker in my district 
and Steve works with farm loans for local growers, and he told me four 
rice farmers in our district have been forced to quit already this 
year. By the end of this season, eight more could be out of business. 
For a rural community, farms are the foundation of a local economy. The 
closure of a single farm means the loss of a customer for many local 
businesses and a reduction of revenue for schools, public utilities, 
and hospitals in these communities.
  Cindy Lahaye works in a hospital in Mamou, Louisiana; and Cindy told 
me that in this town of 3,500, they are feeling the ripple effect at 
their rural hospital because the surrounding farming community cannot 
afford health care at this time. This is a problem that begins with our 
farmers and affects every one of us.
  In my recent conversations, I asked my constituents for input and 
suggestions on what could be done to provide relief for our farming 
community. First and foremost, Mr. Speaker, we must reopen important 
markets that have been closed for various political reasons. I had a 
farmer in Ville Platte, Louisiana, who told me, I have bins full of 
rice, but I am broke. Bumper crops in the past few years have caused 
prices to drop, and with a new crop going into the field, there is no 
place to move the surpluses from the past 2 years. Iraq, Iran, and Cuba 
were all some of the largest importers of U.S. rice, and all three of 
these export markets remain restricted.
  Cuba, for example, had resumed importing agricultural commodities 
from U.S. farmers because of the provisions in the Trade Sanctions 
Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000. A recent ruling by the 
Office of Foreign Assets Control threatens to derail this reemerging 
market. My colleague from Missouri has introduced a bill that could 
provide immediate relief for the rice farmers of my district. H.R. 1339 
amends the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000 to 
clarify allowable payment terms for sales of agricultural commodities 
and products to Cuba.

                              {time}  1800

  I am proud to cosponsor this bill, and I pledge my support for this 
legislation.
  Secondly, taxpayer dollars dedicated to the United States Agency for 
International Development and the PL 480 program should be used to 
purchase U.S. commodities and not foreign food. The program serves two 
purposes. One, it provides emergency and nonemergency food aid to 
countries in need; and, secondly, the program helps American farmers 
since the money is used to purchase American agricultural products.
  Wynn Watkins of Jefferson Davis Paris, Mr. Speaker, told me this. 
Congressman Boustany, he said, all we have here is rice. It is the 
busiest time of the year for us, and we all came out of our fields to 
hear you speak today. We are being asked to send our boys to Iraq and 
Iraq cannot take our rice. Where is the justice in that? I agree with 
Wynn Watkins, Mr. Speaker.

[[Page H1947]]

  USAID's budget proposal would transfer $300 million of the agency's 
$1.2 billion of food aid funding for 2006, and the transferred funds 
would be used to purchase foreign food for emergency relief. As a 
member of the Committee on Agriculture, I am opposed to this transfer.
  Third, we need to improve the counter cylical payment process. A 
higher-than-expected final price for rice in 2004 significantly reduced 
last year's payments. Many farmers mistakenly based their budgets and 
capital investments on information found on the National Agriculture 
Statistics Service Web site. The number had not been adjusted for 3 
months, and the USDA and the NASS need to reform their calculation and 
communication strategies to avoid future such incidents. I have asked 
Secretary Johanns to look into this, and I urge him to be flexible with 
the farmers who must repay these advances.
  Fourth, rising fuel prices and the surging cost of fertilizer have 
nearly doubled the cost of production for the farmers in my district. 
We must pass a long-term, comprehensive energy policy. Abundant, 
affordable and reliable energy is critical, critical to the success of 
our agriculture industry.
  And, finally, we must honor the promises made to our farmers in the 
2002 farm bill. Larry Sarver, from Crowley, Louisiana, told me that in 
2002 he had a 6-year agreement with the Federal Government and he made 
budget and capital investment decisions. We need to protect this farm 
bill.

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