[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 4]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 4840]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   REGARDING THE AGRICULTURE ECONOMY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DAVID D. PHELPS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 17, 1999

  Mr. PHELPS. Mr. Speaker, let me begin by thanking my colleagues Ms. 
Kaptur, and the Ranking Member on the Agriculture Committee, Mr. 
Stenholm, for gathering us here to talk about the agriculture economy. 
There is perhaps no more timely or pressing issue facing our nation's 
farmers and the legislators who represent them in Washington, and I am 
grateful to have the opportunity to participate in this discussion.
  The importance of agriculture to the families and economy of 
Illinois' 19th District cannot be overstated, and I am proud to serve 
on the Agriculture Committee, where I hope to have a role in shaping 
our nation's agriculture policy. Every one of the communities I 
represent is deeply impacted when agriculture experiences tough times, 
and these are some of the toughest in recent memory.
  The pork industry is in the midst of a crisis, and prices are also 
low for other commodities that are critical to my district, such as 
corn and soybeans. The Natural Resource Conservation Service in 
Illinois is facing a major budget shortfall that will likely 
necessitate office closures of month-long furloughs of all of the 
state's NRCS employees. Farmers are experiencing undue delays in 
receiving disaster assistance and other USDA payments, and Farm Service 
Agency offices throughout the country are understaffed and overworked.
  I urge my colleagues to recognize the urgency of this situation and 
hope we can work together to find both short- and long-term solutions 
to the problems that plague our agriculture community.
  I believe one way we can help is by exempting agricultural products 
from trade sanctions. The health of America's agriculture economy is 
largely dependent on foreign markets, and our farmers should not bear 
the brunt of our sanctions policy.
  Another issue that must be addressed is the efficacy of the crop 
insurance program. Too many vulnerable farmers are not being protected 
under this program, and I am eager to find a way in which we can ensure 
the affordability of crop insurance for those at high risk, while 
making the program attractive to those at low risk, all at a cost the 
federal government can bear. I am pleased that the President's budget 
includes several preliminary proposals for crop insurance reforms, and 
I look forward to building on these initiatives to develop a system 
that is strong and effective.
  Let me mention one more issue of critical importance to Illinois 
farmers, namely ethanol. The ethanol industry has generated significant 
economic activity throughout rural America and created thousands of 
high-paying U.S. jobs. At the same time, the use of ethanol has reduced 
air pollution, oil imports, and our trade imbalance, all at a net 
savings to the federal government. I am anxious to help our corn 
growers find new markets for ethanol. This is a product with far-
reaching benefits . . . to agriculture, to our environment, and to all 
American consumers.
  Again, Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Ms. Kaptur and Mr. Stenholm for 
demonstrating their commitment to American agriculture and urging us to 
speak out on this important issue. I hope we can use the momentum 
generated today to begin solving the problems facing our agriculture 
economy and to ensure that the agriculture industry of which we have 
always been so proud in this country remains strong for generations to 
come.

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