    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1996, Book I)]
    [March 22, 1996]
    [Page 488]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    [[Page 488]]

    Statement on the Farm Bill
    March 22, 1996

        I have reviewed the work of the conferees on the farm bill. While I
    strongly favor some aspects of the final bill, I have very serious
    reservations about it.
        However, farmers need to know the conditions under which they are
    operating as they head out into their fields in the coming weeks, and
    the hour is growing late. For that reason, I will, with some reluctance,
    sign this bill when Congress presents it to me. Let me be clear: I am
    firmly committed to working with Congress next year to strengthen the
    farm safety net, and I plan to propose legislation to do so.
        I am especially disappointed that the bill does not provide as
    strong a safety net for family farmers as it should. It provides fixed
    payments without regard to whether farmers are receiving adequate income
    from the market, yet leaves farmers without protection in the event of
    natural disasters or other circumstances that sharply reduce their
    income.
        I am pleased that the bill provides significant funds for
    conservation and environmental enhancement programs and that it will
    channel additional needed funds to rural development and agricultural
    research programs through the Fund for Rural America. The bill also
    reauthorizes nutrition programs for another 2 years and gives farmers
    the planting flexibility they need to plant for the market, not for
    Government programs.
        I look forward to working with Congress next year in a process that
    involves all interested groups to make this a truly farmer-friendly farm
    bill.