Release No. 007 .98
Remarks          
                                
                               by
                 Deputy Secretary Rich Rominger
            The Federation of Southern Cooperatives
               Rural Training and Research Center
                Epes, Alabama -- August 14, 1998
     
     "Ralph, thank you very much. I go back far enough with Ralph Paige to
know the unstinting dedication of this man to the people of rural America.
Whether it's getting socially disadvantaged farmers their fair shake in the
Farm Bill, opening the Civil Rights Listening Sessions, or believing in the
sheer people power of farmer-owned co-ops, there's no room on Ralph's agenda
for what can't be done or made right or made whole, no matter how ingrained or
longstanding the problems. 
     
     "A month ago, at the NAACP meeting in Atlanta, Dan Glickman -- the first
Agriculture Secretary ever to address the NAACP -- said that Ralph Paige, and
the Federation of Southern Cooperatives, have done more than most of us to
give the issue of black land loss the stature and attention it deserves. They
are some of the true heroes of this civil rights movement.
     
     "The National Black Farmers Association has also put much effort into
this. 
     
      "My thanks to Ralph and to all of you for helping us push forward with
the Civil Rights Action Team recommendations. It's been a challenging year.
Progress is measured slowly, but it's there, and you deserve great credit for 
that. 
     
     "Special recognition to John Zippert who's done a tremendous job
representing Federation members in Washington. John testified at the Civil
Rights Listening Sessions. He met several times with the teams responsible for
implementing the civil rights recommendations. He's been named by the
Secretary to the Small Farms Commission. As one of the strongest proponents of
farm worker issues, he's logged many miles looking out for the interests of
some 2-1/2 million people who work the farm.
     
     "In the late-breaking news department, I'm pleased to announce that
Alabama has a new FSA State Executive Director. Many of you know Daniel
Robinson as a dedicated USDA employee. With this appointment, he becomes the
first minority to hold the SED position in this state. Daniel has been with
the Alabama State Office for 18 years.  We consider ourselves fortunate at
USDA to have a man of his commitment and qualification serving the farmers of
Alabama, following up on the good work of Robert Springer. 
                                
     "Like many of you, I'm from a family farm. I worked that farm all my
life before getting into government. It's in my blood. That's a statement I
take pride in. It's a statement I respect and understand. My great-grandparents -- their names were Blickle and Rominger -- came from Germany's
Black Forest to settle farms in California in the 1800s. Our roots run deep in
America's soil. Like you, I feared farming's risks and hard way of life for my
children. But as they were growing up, I had another, deeper fear -- that they
might opt out of agriculture and we'd lose that way of life. We sent them to
college so they would have a choice of occupations and could farm because they
chose it. My three sons are farmers now -- and good ones. That's why I could
come to Washington.
     
     "All of America's sons and daughters who want to hold onto their lands
and work their family farms should have this choice. 
     
     "It's bad enough that small farmers, family farmers, good people making
responsible decisions, are pushed to the edge by floods, fires, droughts, and
crop disease. For some farmers, these are perilous times reminiscent of the
1930s Dust Bowl, the 1988 drought, the Great Flood of  93, when the
Mississippi River became the Mississippi Ocean.                           

     "Its bad enough that small-scale farmers have for decades been up
against tough economic odds -- the rise of agribusiness, efficiencies of
scale, expensive technology.
     
     "But it's intolerable that black farmers in America go out of business
at a rate three times greater than others. And it's intolerable that
discrimination would play any role whatsoever in a loss with such devastating 
personal, economic, and cultural consequences. 
     
     "In August 1966,  just a year before the Federation was founded, Hubert
Humphrey -- Vice President, statesman, populist, and defender of the rights of
all citizens -- said that, "It is one thing to enact legislation that outlaws
flagrant examples of racial discrimination ... It is another thing to
eliminate the more subtle and sophisticated techniques that effectively limit
true freedom of choice in jobs, education, and housing."
     
     "Thirty years later, we're catching on and catching up.
     
     "In his 18 years in Congress, Secretary Glickman recalls only one
instance that the issue of minority farmers was raised. Not once in modern
times was there a hearing in the House or Senate until this matter surfaced.
When the extent and gravity of the black land loss problem became clear, the
Secretary created the Civil Rights Action Team.  With the help of folks like
Ralph Paige, that team travelled the country, listening to stories of pain --
no holds barred -- of help denied, of farms lost that had been in families for
generations, poverty and human misery. More importantly, they documented those
accounts in a report unprecedented for its frankness. It was deeply critical,
but its 92 recommendations also offered a blueprint for positive change in
USDA's civil rights record.
     
     "Even more disturbing than the literal backlog of unanswered complaints,
we found that the issue of how USDA treats minority farmers was essentially a
non-issue for a long period of time. The Reagan Administration had virtually
disbanded USDA's entire civil rights investigation team. There was no way to
handle matters internally. As farmers' complaints were met with indifference,
farmers stopped filing. Channels had dried up. Communications were cut off.
                                
     "We're now rebuilding USDA's civil rights structure from the ground up.
For our 90,000-plus employees, our cooperators and volunteers, the message is:
if you cannot treat every customer and co-worker fairly and equitably, with
dignity and respect, then you don't have a place at USDA.
     
     "We're making sure no government foreclosure proceeds before charges of
discrimination are resolved. We will not tolerate people losing their land to
discrimination.
     
     "We are increasing credit and other resources for farmers who have not
had a fair chance. In fiscal  98, we've provided considerable assistance to
socially disadvantaged farmers -- more than $66 million in direct operating
loans to 2200 farmers and direct farm ownership loans totaling $19 million to
204 farmers. We're actually exceeding Congress' targeted allocation by 10
percent.       
     
     "We now have an Office of Outreach to help USDA employees assure that
all USDA programs are fully accessible to all potential customers. John Just-Buddy  is working full-time with the NAACP on black farmer issues. And on a
local level, we thank Mary McInnis, our FSA County Executive Director right
here in Sumter. Mary, are you here? Mary's doing a great job getting
information about our programs to minority farmers.
     
     "Sam Thornton, who's with me today, heads our Office of Outreach and
will administer the voluntary register of minority farms, once we work through
some issues and get it up and running, hopefully this fall. We credit the
Federation as the single largest proponent of the register and for its work to
include it among the CRAT recommendations.
      
     "Thanks to John Zippert, we're streamlining the program complaints
process. So far, we've closed about half the 924 discrimination cases that
aren't tied up in class action suits. Of those we haven't closed, all but
about 50 are in the investigative or final decision stage. We're sticking with
our goal of resolving the entire backlog of program discrimination cases this
year. 
      
     "Responding to allegations of discrimination in the CRAT report, we've
removed the authority of county committees to determine eligibility for loans.
That decision now rests with a federal loan officer working for USDA.  We're
also letting our Senators and Congressmen know that appointments to state
committees to run farm programs must reflect full diversity. The rubber stamp
used to okay appointments for the past 60 years is out of ink. It's that
simple.    
     
     "As a department, we're improving diversity throughout our ranks. Right
now, we have the most diverse political leadership USDA has ever seen. And
we're gearing up for the next generation. The new research bill, signed a few
months ago by the President, requires the 1890 colleges and universities to
phase into a 50 percent state match for their formula research and extension
funds. Ralph -- with your great interest in the 1890s -- that should be good
news.
       
     "In a strong endorsement that these actions are a solid start, the
Presidents of the 1890 schools recognized the Secretary last winter for his
outstanding civil rights leadership. But Dan Glickman is the first to
acknowledge that progress isn't as fast as he'd like. And he's adamant that
this isn't a road that can be travelled alone.
      
     "If we're to get back to USDA's original charter as the "People's
Department" ... if we're to make this system accountable and truly responsive
to small farmers ... if we're to turn the tide of black land loss ... this
must be a national commitment. We need the involvement of the civil rights
community, private companies and citizens. And we must have the backing of the
U.S. Congress.
     
      Some of the most significant hurdles we face today are Congressional
hurdles. There are three major issues currently before the Congress: 
      
     "First, the  96 Farm Bill bars USDA from offering a  second-chance' farm
loan to anyone who ever defaulted on a government farm loan -- no matter what
the circumstances, no matter how long ago, no matter how strong a credit
record they build back up. This is wrong. Agriculture is hard, risky business,
and folks deserve a second chance. It's the small farmer barely making ends
meet who is squeezed hardest by this rule. No bank does this. And, every day
that Congress does not right this wrong, more good people lose their land.
     
     "USDA also needs the authority to hold all our employees accountable on
civil rights. We have people in nearly every county across the country who
receive their paycheck from the federal government, but do not answer directly
to the federal government. Instead, they answer to  county leaders. They
should  maintain their freedom to tailor farm programs to local needs, but we
believe that these employees should answer to one high national standard on
civil rights. Unfortunately, this is a very controversial issue in the
Congress.
     
     "And, we need to settle very old discrimination cases by lifting the
statute of limitations so justice delayed does not mean justice denied. I am
pleased to tell you that this legislation has passed both the House and
Senate. USDA will finally be able to address these older cases, seek closure,
and properly resolve complaints of individuals who may have been discriminated
against. 
     
ADDITIONAL USDA EFFORTS ON BEHALF OF SMALL FARMERS
     
     "As an important footnote to this discussion, I must stress that while
we're working to rebuild USDA's civil rights structure, I'm reminded over and
over -- in my everyday dealings with USDA people -- that the vast majority are
decent, hard-working public servants. They believe in and practice civil
rights, and they're committed to helping all of America's farmers and rural
citizens meet and surmount economic challenge.
     
     "There's no question that much of the problem facing all small farmers
is economic. Farmers of all ethnic backgrounds are having a tough time coping
with massive change in the structure of agriculture.
     
     "In 1979, Agriculture Secretary Bob Bergland warned that the direction
of policies and programs in this country was accelerating the movement toward
larger and fewer farms.  Reflecting on his own life, Bergland said that, "As a
young farmer who had no choice but to roll with the punches -- because that
was our home, our land, and I wanted to keep it -- I had always felt there had
to be a better way to make farm policy and make the farm programs conform to
that policy."
          
     " Later, as a farm-program administrator, as a Congressman, as
Secretary, his observations convinced him that there had to be a better way.
     
     "In a landmark examination of the structure of American agriculture,
Bergland held hearings across the country. He documented his findings in the
report, "A Time to Choose." In the past two decades, USDA has made some
choices -- policy choices that only perpetuated the trend toward larger and
fewer. Not until one year ago, when Secretary Glickman appointed the 30-member
National Commission on Small Farms, have the books been reopened on the rural
and economic factors affecting the nation's small farms. 
     
     "This is an effort I'm gratified to serve on and head up for USDA. This
Administration is unwilling to stand by and watch our small farm heritage
disappear. We're unwilling to give in to the "bigger-is-better" credo without
a challenge: Can government really help, or are economic forces truly beyond
our control? Can we find a way for small and large farms to coexist and
succeed together in the 21st century? If so, how?
     
     "Last winter, after a series of hearings and listening sessions, the
Commission came out with a report containing 146 recommendations. That's a
lot. But they focus the attention and resources of USDA on small, beginning,
and minority farmers. Based on the report, we've drawn up eight policy goals.
These include promoting competitive markets for small farms, sustainable
agriculture, working conditions, partnerships, and future generations.
  
     "Perhaps most important -- they stress the need for a framework of
support and responsibility. We're moving in that direction. I'm pleased that
the Senate Ag Appropriations bill calls for a USDA Small Farms Coordinator
reporting to the Secretary. This position will bring a central focus to small
farms issues within the department.

     "The idea of a framework of support also highlights the role of research
and education in the future competitiveness of all our farmers. The fact is
that as a nation we ask a lot of our farmers. In return, you need us to help
you develop and stay up with new technologies, with new science, with new ways
of doing business. 
     
     "Agriculture depends on this kind of advance. Sustainable agriculture --
cutting pesticide use and putting less stress on fragile lands -- depends on
it. Dealing with increasingly important urban-rural issues depends on it. And
boosting your competitiveness, adding value so you've got a unique product,
making some real money off small volume, depends on it. 
      
     "I know I'm preaching to the choir here when I rave about all the things
farmer-owned co-ops are doing to get producers a bigger piece of the pie.
Farmers like Ben Burkett recognize that growth depends on capturing some of
that margin between the farm gate and the consumer, where the money is.    
     
     "From Southwestern Minnesota, where there's a revival of interest in
organizing new value-added co-ops for food and industrial uses, to the "Three
Sisters" cotton co-ops near Lubbock, Texas, to the Indian Springs Farmers
Association in Mississippi, co-ops are working miracles for smaller farm
operations and rural communities. Ben estimates that Indian Springs will do a
quarter-million dollars in sales this year, thanks to the efficiencies and
value-added boost of their new grading and packing facility. I'm pleased that
USDA played a small role -- to the Federation's big role -- helping with the
loan application process for that packing shed. 
                                
     "And I want to mention another example of a USDA partnership with the
Federation, one that's putting fresh produce on the menus and in the stomachs
of youngsters in 83 schools in the Florida panhandle. This is a win-win-win
situation. 
     
     "Working with the New North Florida Cooperative Association, our local
Resource Conservation and Development folks came up with a program for the co-op to sell to nearby school districts ... boosting children's nutrition ... 
creating a market for high-value crops ... and keeping more small farmers
where they belong, in farming. 
     
      "Underlying everthing else we're doing, we're not about to relax our
efforts on behalf of the communities of rural America. This Administration is
working to ensure that all rural homes can count on affordable telephone rates
and rural schools, that libraries and health centers can tap into the
Internet. We have to modernize rural schools and transportation systems,
improve the quality of rural health with advanced telemedicine, and cleaner
drinking water for many communities. USDA has recently awarded $17 million in
loans and grants to support rural businesses ... $7 million in loans and
grants for housing ... and will back $33 million in loans for rural
businesses.
     
     "In short, rural America is important to us all.  The small farmers who
are rural America's history and core, are important. Not only do you link this
nation culturally to a rich heritage, but, very practically, to the economics
of agriculture's future.
     
     "This is a connection I think about when I take a trip to the
battlefields of Gettysburg ... something I make a point of doing from time to
time, since I've been on the east coast. It's the ultimate refresher course in
the concept of these "united" states and the three days of bloodshed that went
into preserving that union. It's amazing to reflect that the same President
committed to preserving a nation undivided also founded a single department to
serve the needs of all the people. When I consider that USDA is entering the
21st century still righting wrongs that are the legacy of the19th, I'm
determined that here and now we will make a difference. USDA has deep roots in
the 1800s and 1900s. In just two years, we'll make the next century part of
our history, too. This time, we'll be proud of every page."

 Thank you.