Date: 1986-02-04
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I announced that he will require cross yield myself such time as I may con- compliance for wheat and feed grains sume. as well as cotton and rice. but that he Mr. Speaker. this is emergency legis- will reverse his decision of given clear lation that makes technical amend- discretionary authority over all four ments to the Food Security Act that crops. passed in December. I am opposed to cross compliance of Mr. Speaker. if you might recall. we any kind. because I do not feel that were working under terrific time con- this is at all fair to farmers who grow straints on the farm bill in December. a wide diversity of crops and are hit and worked through the day and hard by cross compliance require-. through the night on several occa- ments. sions. Inadvertently. some sections Tunts. were either added or deleted from the Thus. the Secretarys promises are bill contrary to the intention of the most encouraging. and I believe it is conferees. and the understanding of vital that we give him the discretion the House and the other body. We cor- he needs to ensure fairness to our rect those errors under this bill. farmers. First. as to the issue of limited cross The bill also corrects a problem recompliance. instead of making it dis- garding acreagebased calculations for cretionary. as intended. inadvertently wheat. feed grains. cotton. and rice. It our language made it mandatory. The was the intent of the conference comDepartment of Agriculture has re- mittee that only a 5year average be quested that we give them that discre- used in calculating bases. but a provition as intended by the confereesand sion requiring the use of a 2year averwe do so in this bill to satisfy their re- age for cotton and rice has been interquest. preted as applying to wheat and feed Second. there was a provision for grains as well. ASC county committees. that is the I do not support the 2year rule. beAgricultural Stabilization and Conser- cause it is unfair to farmers who vation Committees. The intent of con- suffer low productivity in a single year ferees was that you could have in one due to special circumstances such as county more than three local commit- drought or floods. tees. We go back and correct the farm This will be a very valuable amendbill to reflect that agreement. ment to the bill for many farmers in In section 4 of the amended bill. we my district. and I strongly urge the have a provision on the acreage bases adoption of the bill. under which appropriate rules will be Mr. CHAPPIE. Mr. Speaker. I yield applied to wheat and feed grain pro- 2 minutes to the gentleman from Verducers in the determination of crop mont . bases which govern the acreage to be (Mr. JEFFORDS asked and was planted. We provided. in conference. given permission to revise and extend for a 5year period in which you aver- his remarks.) age out the bases. Inadvertently an ad- Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. Speaker. I rise ditional 2year rule was added to the in support of the bill. However. I will legislation. take this time to make the Members Basically. the intent of the bill is to aware of some problems that exist In make these three technical corrections the farm bill with respect to Grammto comply with the intent of the con- Rudman and the dairy provisions. ferees and the understanding of the When we were dealing. in the farm House and the other body when they bill. and looking toward Grammapproved the farm bill. In the case of Rudman. it was anticipated that we the cross compliance. we are acting at would take about a 10cent assessment the request of the administration. for this first knock by GrammI reserve the balance of my time. Rudman in order to save the. taxpay0 1240 ers the appropriate amount of money.