National Farmers Union News Release / For Immediate Release: October 13, 1999 / Contact: Erika Hovland Batcheller (202) 314-3104
Congress Should Immediately Begin Work on Measure's Shortfalls, NFU Says
WASHINGTON -- The farm relief package approved by Congress will provide badly needed assistance to the nation's hard-pressed farmers and ranchers, the National Farmers Union (NFU) said today.
The $8.7 billion package, passed by the Senate today and the House Oct. 1, includes about $5.5 billion in direct payments to offset low prices and $1.2 billion in disaster assistance. It also includes $475 million for oilseed producers, $200 million for livestock producers, $125 million for dairy farmers, funding for the cotton Step 2 program and relief for tobacco, peanut and sugar growers. The package also extends the dairy support price for another year.
"We are pleased Congress has taken steps to help alleviate the financial stress felt by the country's farmers and ranchers. The assistance will give many producers a temporary economic reprieve as they make decisions about next year," said NFU President Leland Swenson. "However, while this package is certainly welcome, it is far from ideal."
NFU led the charge for farm assistance and helped build support among national farm groups by organizing a national agricultural summit in April and worked closely with the 28 farm groups that attended to present a united front to Congress.
NFU is pleased the package for the first time attempts to address mandatory price reporting, one of the organization's top priorities for several years. NFU says that while the price reporting measure is not perfect, it is a step in the right direction.
Because of other shortfalls in the bill, NFU also is urging Congress to immediately begin work on action to fully address long-term and disaster needs in agriculture.
"Lawmakers should waste no time in rolling up their sleeves and getting to work today on a supplemental bill for additional disaster relief. Congress should also take this opportunity to make constructive changes to the farm program now so we don't find ourselves here again next year," Swenson stated.
NFU would like to see Congress put in place a counter-cyclical farm safety net to help producers when prices fall and to give them the tools to generate more revenue from the market, not from government programs.:
