[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 85 (Thursday, May 22, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4755-S4756]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             THE FARM BILL

  Mr. DORGAN. Mr. President, I want to start by acknowledging the 
tremendous work of Senators Conrad, Harkin, and Chambliss. This farm 
bill has taken countless hours of patience and perseverance. Thank 
goodness they have all that in abundance, along with great skill, 
wisdom and vision
  I especially want to recognize Senator Conrad's work here in the 
Senate and Congressman Pomeroy's work in the House. We wouldn't be 
where we are today without their efforts and I wanted to publicly thank 
them.
  Mr. President, the Congress has made a major decision today. That 
decision is to say to this President: It is time to start taking care 
of things here at home. It is a pretty substantial message--
notwithstanding the objections of the President, this Congress said we 
need to stand for family farmers and have voted overwhelmingly to 
decide that we will override the President's veto and voted 
overwhelmingly to decide that we will override the President's veto. 
Sometimes there is not much distance between the right track and the 
wrong track. But with respect to the farm bill, the distance here 
between the right track and the wrong track, between the President and 
the Congress, is a country mile. It surprises me, in fact.

  This Congress has said: Let's start taking care of things here at 
home for a change. Now, family farmers have always been the bedrock of 
this country's family values. They, in many cases, work alone. They 
raise a family out under yard lights, out in the country. They take big 
risks every year.

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They live on hope. They do not come to work in blue suit. They put on 
work shoes and work clothes and work hard, and all they ask for is a 
decent return on their investment, despite the substantial risks they 
take. Because of that this Congress, for a long period of time, over 
many decades, has decided to create a safety net so that when family 
farmers run into a patch of trouble, this Congress and this country 
say: You are not alone. We want to help you through these price valleys 
and through these tough times.
  So that safety net was significantly what we voted on today. The 
President began last year threatening to veto a farm bill, and 
consistently threatened that veto, and finally decided to exercise that 
veto, and the Congress said: You are wrong, Mr. President.
  The President came to my State of North Dakota. He said to farmers: 
When you need me, I will be there. But when farmers needed him, he was 
not there. That is a matter of fact. This Congress has used awfully 
good judgment in overriding the President's veto.
  About a year ago, a little over a year ago, I introduced an 
agriculture disaster bill here in the Congress. For 3 years in a row I 
have added an agriculture disaster piece to the supplemental 
appropriations bill because we did not have a disaster title in the 
farm bill. For 3 years as an appropriator I put disaster money in the 
Appropriations supplemental bill. Finally, on the third opportunity, we 
got it in a bill the President had to sign. But we had to go on bended 
knee when they had disasters over much of farm country to get disaster 
help. Now we have a farm bill that has a disaster title. That is a 
significant step forward.
  A lot of folks do not understand much about farming. They think that 
Corn Flakes, oatmeal, and puffed rice come in boxes. They do not. But 
those who put it in the boxes make much more money than those who plow 
the ground and plant the seeds that produce the corn and the oats and 
the wheat.
  Now, this is a pretty substantial day for those of us who care about 
family farmers and want good farm policy. This veto override is good 
public policy.
  Rodney Nelson, a cowboy poet from North Dakota, who is a rancher and 
a farmer out near Almont and Judd, ND, wrote a piece. I have mentioned 
it before to my colleagues. But he asks this question rhetorically in 
his piece: What is it worth? What is it worth for a kid to know how to 
weld a seam, to drive a combine, to fix a tractor? What's it worth for 
a kid to know how to pour cement? What is it worth for a kid to know 
how to work livestock, work in the hot summer sun and the cold winter 
day? He asks: What is it worth for a kid to know how to teach a calf to 
drink milk out of a pail? What is it worth for a kid to know how to 
build a lean-to? What is it worth for a kid to know how to fix a 
tractor that won't run?
  There is only one place in this country where all of those skills are 
taught, and that is on America's family farms. That is the university 
where all of those courses exist, and we lose it at our peril. That is 
why we write farm legislation. What is it worth? It is worth plenty to 
this country to say to family farmers during tough times: You are not 
alone, because we have created a farm bill to say here is a helping 
hand during tough times. That is what this is all about. I think the 
action today is something we ought to be proud of.
  Is this bill everything I would have liked? No. My colleague and I, 
Senator Grassley, offered an amendment on the floor of the Senate that 
was critical in terms of policy dealing with payment limits. We lost. 
We got 56 votes, we needed 60.
  The fact is, this bill remains a good bill. It is late. It should 
have been done months ago. We fought through 9 or 10 months of 
Presidential veto threats. But it is done and finally I think farmers 
who are working their fields now in the spring and trying to figure out 
how they are going to do this year, I think farmers are going to be 
able to look at this bill and say: Congress cared. Congress cared 
enough to override the President's veto and put in place a farm bill 
that once again says: America cares about family farming and its 
future.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Pennsylvania is recognized.

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